Social reactions to disclosure of sexual victimization play an important role in the process of recovery. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the impact of online disclosure of sexual victimization. The sample for this qualitative study ( = 17) focused on participants who shared their experiences with disclosing about their sexual victimization online and the reactions received in these spaces. Using applied thematic analysis, the research team identified three major themes from the data, each with respective subthemes, including helpful, harmful, and mixed reactions to online disclosure. Findings highlighted the nuances of disclosing online and the diverse reactions that were received. Participants provided in-depth descriptions of not only how the disclosure experience and resulting reactions could be helpful or harmful but also nuanced, mixed, and simultaneously harmful and helpful. This data is a crucial reminder that survivors' stories are unique and that survivors experience many varying motivations for choosing if, when, where, to whom, or for whom they may disclose. The findings may help inform clinical recommendations for mental health practitioners working with survivors of sexual victimization and holding therapeutic space to process these decisions of disclosure. Future researchers should also consider further studying online interactions, especially within and between survivors, including when and how survivors choose to connect or disconnect.

This study analyzed caregiver feedback regarding referrals, service use, and wanting additional services using a standardized survey completed by 1,585 caregivers at 260 Children's Advocacy Centers. Most caregivers were referred to counseling or support services for their child (84%). Caregivers who completed the survey in Spanish were significantly more likely to receive referral information for themselves, have children use the services, use the services themselves, report being on waiting lists, want additional services for their child, and believe staff could have done something additional compared to caregivers who completed it in English. African American children were significantly less likely to receive referrals, use services and have caregivers want additional services. Spanish-speaking caregivers and African American children warrant more attention to ensure all families' needs are being addressed.

Sexual grooming, exacerbated by increased internet and social media usage , is a growing concern. Past researchers have found differences in perceptions of sexual grooming based on gender-pairing, perpetrator attractiveness, as well as perpetrator and victim age and gender. Our study extends this research by exploring how the attractiveness of the perpetrator and their relationship to the victim - specifically, whether they are a teacher, religious leader, or family friend - affects perceived grooming severity and recommended legal response. Contrary to expectations, relationship type, but not attractiveness, impacted perceptions. Vignettes involving family friends were perceived as less harmful compared to those involving teachers or religious leaders, highlighting nuanced responses based on the perpetrator's role. These findings suggest that grooming perceptions are heavily influenced by the nature of the relationship rather than the attractiveness of the perpetrator, indicating a need for policies and educational initiatives that address these complexities to enhance the detection and prevention of sexual grooming.

In this article, we explore the discourses of service providers that influence the disclosure process for men who have experienced childhood sexual violence (CHSV). Previous research has shown that it is typical for men to take over a decade to disclose their experiences of CHSV. Disclosing to a service provider can lead to receiving necessary help, yet men who have experienced CHSV often face gendered challenges within the Finnish healthcare system. Several support organizations for sexual violence were contacted using a non-probability sampling technique to recruit participants. The data for this qualitative study were collected through semi-structured interviews with eight service providers who work with male clients. The data were analyzed using critical discourse analysis. Our findings reveal that men typically do not seek help specifically for CHSV; rather, the issue often emerges while discussing other problems. We identified two distinct discourses that affect help-seeking and disclosure of CHSV by male survivors: a) the discourse of (dis)trust, which is closely connected to whether men discuss their traumatic experiences, and b) the discourse of hegemonic masculinities, in which normative masculinities inhibit men from disclosing. We recommend increasing general awareness of CHSV through various campaigns and incorporating sexual violence education into the curricula for healthcare students.

This study documented between-group differences in factors associated with lifetime sexual victimization in a sample of young sexual minority men. Diverse samples of gay ( = 205, age = 24.33 years) and bisexual ( = 201, age = 23.31 years) men were recruited using the CloudResearch platform to assess recent experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV). Participants were categorized into four groups, cross-classified by dichotomous self-reports of (a) childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and (b) sexual IPV. Principal components analysis was used to reduce the number of variables associated with sexual IPV in three domains: Past-year substance use involvement, minority stress, and relationship characteristics, separately for each sample. Gay men reporting both CSA and sexual IPV reported significantly higher mean factor scores for a principal component with high loadings for recent substance use, daily discrimination, relational aggression and relational victimization, compared to other groups of gay men. Bisexual men who experienced sexual IPV reported significantly higher mean factor scores for a principal component with high loadings for five measures of minority stress, compared to counterparts with no history of sexual victimization. Adult sexual IPV among gay men reporting CSA appears to occur in conditions that include harmful substance use, daily discrimination experiences, and relationship violence. Sexual IPV among bisexual men is associated with multiple minority stressors. Our findings highlighted different patterns of risk factors for sexual IPV among sexual minority men, providing information for tailored risk reduction initiatives, including the need for trauma-informed services and specialized training for service providers.

Forensic interviewers face a variety of complex and challenging situations in their role. To help them respond effectively, prioritizing professional identity formation is important. This process involves internalizing the core values, characteristics, and behaviors of the profession. The first step in facilitating this formation is identifying and delineating the core attributes of the profession, which was the focus of the current study. Twenty-one practitioners, recognized for their expertise in interviewing children, were asked about their approach to conducting interviews, and their responses were analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis to identify how they conceived their professional identity. The findings indicated that the practitioners perceived their professional identity in consistent ways, most notably in the role of a temporary holder of information, a protector of the evidence, and professionals who prioritize the child. These core values, characteristics, and behaviors align with both best-practice interviewing principles and victims' reported needs. Future development of the framework delineated in this study holds promise for assisting interviewers in flexibly navigating the complexities and challenges of their role.

This article brings attention to cardinal principles to consider when implementing the multidisciplinary approach with youth who are manifesting sustained coarse sexual improprieties and come to the attention of the judicial system. The obstacles of implementing therapeutic jurisprudence with this population include the persistent reliance of researchers on adult paradigms for risk assessment tools, along with treatment models that are not developmentally and gender sensitive, nor empirically supported for youth. Adherence to the scientific method is essential when constructing risk assessment tools that meet forensic standards. Applying the rich collateral paradigm of therapeutic jurisprudence within the context of valid and reliable measurements of intervention outcomes would immensely benefit those youth entangled with judicial systems who repeatedly are victims of abuse (neglect, maltreatment, physical and/or sexual). Youth who become entangled with the judicial system as dependents, and/or suspected or charged with criminal activity, need additional collateral resources geared toward ongoing developmental needs and specific to gender. Practical considerations and recommendations are made in contemplating expanding Therapeutic Jurisprudence with youth who engage in sustained sexually harmful behaviors to self and others.

The experience of sexual violence (SV) in sport can vary according to contextual factors such as its form, type of perpetrator, and frequency of acts that might impact the risk factors and outcomes of SV. This study aims to explore the heterogeneity of SV experiences in sport using latent class analysis and to compare the victimization profiles based on personal and sport characteristics as well as on outcomes. A sample of 1357 adolescent-athletes practicing an organized sport who reported SV in sport was included in the study. Four profiles of sexual victimization were identified: (a) (3.5%), (b) (84.5%), (c) (6.9%), and (d) (5.2%). Overall, the findings suggest that athletes reporting SV are not a homogenous group but do not clearly distinguish in risk factors and outcomes. Results can be used to better target prevention and intervention strategies.

Research suggests childhood sexual abuse (CSA) has an impact on survivor's sexual fantasies; however, empirical research is inconclusive. As sexual fantasies play a crucial role in sexual well-being, more exploration of sexual fantasies in CSA survivors and non-victims is needed. An online survey-based content analysis was conducted on fantasies reported by CSA survivors ( = 48) and non-victims ( = 44). Results unveiled nine fantasy categories reported by both groups. An additional category, , was reported solely by survivors. These findings highlight the diverse fantasy content experienced by survivors, prompting a reconsideration of theories suggesting a linear relationship between CSA and the development of sadomasochistic or violent fantasies in adulthood.

A substantial proportion of all reported child sexual abuse is perpetrated by other young people, though it is challenging to accurately depict its prevalence. Even less is known about the help-seeking behaviors of young people. Understanding how they seek help for their own problematic sexualized behavior is crucial to better inform therapeutic interventions and early intervention opportunities. This study used an administrative dataset of contacts ( = 901) received by Kids Helpline over nine years. Given the paucity of research on this topic, our approach to draw upon the contacts made to Kids Helpline by young people concerned about their own sexualized interests or behaviors is innovative and exploratory. Descriptive analyses were conducted to examine the characteristics of each contact as well as the demographics of the young people making contact. The present study examined the characteristics of 695 males and 206 females (aged 10 to 25) seeking help for their own problematic sexualized behaviors. Young people who contacted Kids Helpline for problematic sexualized behavior reported the following specific concerns: sexual behaviors (40.50%) and pornography use (38.20%). A quarter of contacts (25.86%) raised multiple concerns. Results suggest that intervention should be provided early and in an age-graded way. Several implications for theory and practice are discussed.

We aimed to characterize and conceptually organize multilevel factors associated with the sexual victimization experiences of trans women and trans feminine people to advance violence prevention interventions for health-equity. Between October 2020 and July 2021, we conducted in-depth interviews with 17 expert informants in New York City, which we transcribed, coded, and analyzed. Qualitative insights were derived through an intensive, team-based iterative coding strategy resulting in the development of an exhaustive set of consensus codes which were organized and interpreted in a multi-level structure. Findings revealed a complex constellation of intersecting macro- and micro-structural mechanisms reinforcing sexual violence. Unique characteristics of this violence were characterized hierarchically in terms of: 1) violence forms (e.g. murder, fetishization), 2) perpetrators (e. g. safety-staff; group assault), 3) contexts (e.g. public accommodations), 4) functions (e.g. gender policing), 5) ideological reinforcers (e.g. transphobia, racism), and 6) structural reinforcers (e.g. legislation; linking access to material means of survival to poverty/illness). Results indicate that acute incidents of sexual victimization are "the tip of the iceberg" of the violence impacting trans communities. The community experts we interviewed (e.g. trans women, violence prevention practitioners, social workers) understand chronic functional, ideological, and structural oppression as inextricable from sexual violence. Multi-level determinants of violence therefore constitute essential targets of sexual violence prevention intervention for this population.

Interventions implemented in the digital space play an important role in the response to global concerns about the prevalence of online child sexual abuse. Digital detection software (e.g. Sweetie) utilized to combat this behavior is a well-known example. Far fewer examples of digital interventions focused on its prevention exist. This review sought to identify digital interventions currently being implemented that aim to prevent online child sexual abuse, or intervene early, through deterrence and redirection. Guided by the PRISMA scoping review framework, a search was conducted across four databases, with snowballing from reference lists of selected sources. After exclusion criteria were applied, six sources were selected for review. Findings suggest that digital interventions (e.g. warning messages and chatbots) can be used to deter and redirect individuals at-risk of, or in the early stages of engaging in online child sexual abuse, with greater deterrent effects observed when messaging aligns with situational crime prevention principles. However, limited application and evaluation of these interventions to date constrains inferences regarding the impact of these prevention efforts. To supplement findings, several other emerging examples of digital interventions and conceptual/theoretical works (that did not meet the original inclusion criteria) are cited. Findings of this review should be considered alongside these other examples to inform the ongoing design and scaling up of digital interventions aimed at preventing online child sexual abuse.

Survivors of adult sexual assault and child sexual abuse - together encompassing sexual violence (SV) - experience a number of adverse consequences. High rates of self-blame can lead to increased symptomatology and treatment resistance. There has been a paucity of studies of men who have experienced SV, particularly about self-blame. For this study, 179 cisgender male survivors of SV completed an online survey to explore the relationships among 10 variables, including trauma-related self-blame, rape myth acceptance, tonic immobility, disclosure experiences, sexual arousal, and substance use. Multiple regression analyses and -tests were used to test the study hypotheses. Results indicate that 93% of the sample reported some level of self-blame. However, only rape myth acceptance was strongly associated with self-blame. Additionally, participants who used substances within 12 hours prior to their SV had higher rates of self-blame, as did participants who had not previously disclosed their abuse. Exploratory analyses also found a significant difference in self-blame between those who experienced SV in childhood and adulthood versus those who only experienced SV in either childhood or adulthood. The findings of this research highlight the high rates of self-blame and how imperative it is to provide psychoeducation about the variables discussed in this study and to normalize these experiences, especially for less well-known phenomena such as physiological sexual arousal and TI.

Bisexual (i.e. those with attraction to multiple genders) women experience disparities in sexual violence and mental health outcomes, including PTSD, depression, and hazardous drinking, compared to lesbian and heterosexual women. Unique stigma due to bisexual identity (antibisexual stigma), negative reactions to sexual violence (SV) disclosure (e.g. victim blaming), and prior child sexual abuse (CSA) may all contribute to shame. We tested whether shame explained the associations of antibisexual stigma, negative reactions to SV disclosure, and CSA severity with PTSD symptoms, depression, and hazardous drinking among young bisexual women. Participants who self-identified as bisexual women, between the ages of 18-35, residing in the US were recruited via Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and completed online questionnaires. Women who reported SV since age 18 that they disclosed to someone were included in the current study, yielding a sample of 156 bisexual women (age = 25.7; 98.1% cisgender, 86.5% White). Path analysis with bias-corrected bootstrapping was conducted. There were significant direct effects of negative reactions on hazardous drinking and CSA on PTSD, and direct effects of shame on PTSD and depression symptoms. Shame explained the associations of antibisexual stigma, negative reactions, and CSA with PTSD symptoms, depression symptoms, and hazardous drinking. Shame may explain why stigmatizing experiences related to bisexual identity, sexual violence, and CSA history relate to distress among bisexual women. Shame is an important treatment target among bisexual survivors of SV.

This study explored factors associated with help seeking among cisgender men college and university students who experienced sexual victimization.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are frequent in child victims of sexual abuse. Authors argued that early trauma could lead to alterations in development that go far beyond the primary symptoms of PTSD and have proposed that Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) involving alterations in attachment, biology, affect regulation, consciousness, behavioral regulation, cognition, and self-concept, may better describe children experiencing chronic trauma at an early developmental stage. The aim of the study was to disentangle the diversity of profiles in child victims of sexual abuse based on the C-PTSD framework. Latent profile analysis was used to identify distinct subgroups in a sample of 861 sexually abused children aged 6 to 12. Children and their non-offending parents completed questionnaires evaluating PTSD symptoms and measures documenting alterations in development characteristics of C-PTSD. Latent profile analysis identified a best-fitting model consisting of three profiles: (40.7% of children), (32.8% of children), and (26.5% of children). Compared to others, children in the profile were more likely to have experienced more forms of interpersonal trauma and showed impairments in several domains. Findings underscore the importance of tailoring interventions to efficiently address the needs of young victims of sexual trauma.

Despite awareness about high rates of sexual abuse among girls in the juvenile justice system, little is known about the additional risk conferred upon sexually diverse (SD) youths, as well as the combined vulnerability of sexual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) - frequently a survival behavior amplifying disproportionate juvenile justice contact among SD and non-SD juvenile justice-involved (JJI) girls. In a sample of JJI-girls, we compared SD ( = 52) with non-SD ( = 46) JJI-girls on sexual victimization (e.g. sexual abuse occurring within different relationship-types, CSEC), and broader developmental adversity burden disadvantage (cumulative trauma/loss exposure-types) and distress (posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]; cumulative stressor-reactivity, grief-specific, and adversity-related symptoms), health distress/impairment, and sexual and physical health-risk indicators. While comparable on childhood sexual abuse frequency, SD JJI-girls reported greater cumulative sexual abuse severity across relationship-types, higher sexual abuse within non-familial contexts, and more CSEC involvement. They also reported more social determinants of health (e.g. trauma/loss exposure-types) and showed elevations on all health-risk indicators, and most cumulative adversity burden indicators, despite comparable PTSD severity. Our findings emphasize the need to consider multiple sexual victimization facets, including the combined vulnerability of sexual abuse and CSEC, and utilize cumulative developmental assessment approaches among youths vulnerable to maltreatment and exploitation.

Early intervention in problem sexual behavior (PSB) is critical; however, little is known about the engagement of children and families in therapeutic intervention for PSB. This research explored the characteristics, presenting issues, and engagement of 242 children aged 4-12 years attending a therapeutic service for PSB. Most frequently, PSB occurred within sibling relationships. Girls were more likely to engage in PSB alone (self-directed or non-targeted behaviors), while boys were more likely to involve other young people (interpersonal PSB). One-third (35%) of clients engaged in completion of therapy. Parental noninvolvement and self-directed or non-targeted PSB predicted early disengagement. Client demographics, sexual abuse, and interpersonal sexual behaviors were not associated with therapy completion. Implications for therapeutic intervention in children's PSB are discussed.

Technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV) is a ubiquitous societal problem with negative health consequences. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric (CAP) patients are burdened with more violence exposure than other groups, but more work is needed to chart their exposure to TFSV specifically and to understand how it relates to their mental health. In this study, we aimed to investigate the occurrence of unwanted online sexual solicitation (UOSS) in a young Swedish psychiatric sample. We also aimed to measure the associations between psychiatric symptoms and exposure to UOSS, offline sexual harassment, cyberbullying, and offline bullying. We also aimed to analyze possible differences between boys and girls. Our results show a high occurrence of UOSS (48.61%), which is higher than in the general population. UOSS was significantly higher among girls (57.31%) than boys (20.59%), but boys in the CAP group were burdened with more UOSS victimization than boys in general. Co-occurrence of UOSS with other types of offline and online harassment was substantial. UOSS, together with age and offline sexual harassment, predicted anxiety and depressive symptoms among both girls and boys. UOSS also showed a significant interaction effect with gender, suggesting that boys exposed to UOSS suffer higher levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms than girls exposed to UOSS. Preventing and treating mental health difficulties needs to consider contextual circumstances such as exposure to sexual violence online.