Experiences and psychological health among children exposed to online child sexual abuse – a mixed methods study of court verdicts
Date
2020
Journal Title
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Volume Title
Publisher
Psychology, Crime & Law
Abstract
Cases of online child sexual abuse (OCSA) are increasing
dramatically in number, but research on this relatively new type of
crime and its psychological consequences is limited, leading to
major challenges for the judiciary. The present mixed methods
study investigated 98 legal cases of OCSA (children aged 7–17
years, M = 12.3, SD = 1.92) in Swedish District Courts to see if and
how children’s experiences and psychological health were
described in the written verdicts. The results revealed that the
children’s psychological health was mentioned in less than half
(48.0%) of the cases. Thematic analyses identified several potential
vulnerability factors (e.g. poor psychological health, low selfesteem, loneliness) and several potential psychological
consequences (e.g. psychological suffering, self-harming and/or
suicidal behavior, internalized self-loathing, impaired relationships)
among the children, all of which were similar to what research
has shown among victims of offline CSA. The sexual abuse
situation was often perceived as threatening, and many children
felt that they had no other choice than to comply. In addition, the
sexually abusive act was depicted as distressing and sometimes
painful. In light of these findings, we suggest that OCSA should
not be viewed as essentially different or less severe than offline CSA.
Description
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Article
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Keywords
International Resources, Sweden, child abuse, online exploitation, psychological consequences, children’s experiences, court
Citation
Joleby, M., Landström, S., Lunde, C., & Jonsson, L. S. (2020). Experiences and psychological health among children exposed to online child sexual abuse–a mixed methods study of court verdicts. Psychology, Crime & Law, 1-23.