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Recent Submissions
Risk factors as indicators for online child sexual abuse: A systematic review
(Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies, 2024) Lally, L., Webb, I., & Quayle, E.
Introduction: Online child sexual abuse has been described as a serious public health issue worldwide in today’s society. The long-term consequences of such abuse have been well-reported, and the risks in which youth are made more vulnerable to this abuse must be better understood.
Objective: To synthesise and evaluate the literature regarding risk factors of online sexual exploitation by focusing on the following question: What are the risk factors that make children vulnerable to online child sexual abuse and solicitation?
Method: A systematic review was completed using search strings within several databases, a hand search was conducted, and results were removed based on the title, abstract and then full paper.
Results: The final review consisted of seventeen papers, and a quality assessment was carried out. The findings highlighted several risk factors for online sexual abuse and exploitation of children. Those at risk included: females, those of older age, those who engaged in risky online behaviours, those who frequently used the internet or chatrooms and online messengers, those experiencing psychological and psychosocial difficulties, and prior exposure to adverse experiences.
Conclusion: The limitations of the study included not being able to generalise the results due to origin. There was room for bias within the studies analysed as a number of them were self-report. This review highlights that parents, policymakers, and the education systems need to prepare children for the dangers of the internet and ensure there are adequate services in place if abuse occurs.
Prevalence and characteristics of online child sexual victimization: Findings from the Australian Child Maltreatment Study
(Child Abuse & Neglect, 2025) Walsh, K., Mathews, B., Parvin, K., Smith, R., Burton, M., Nicholas, M., ... & Tran, N.
Background
Online child sexual victimization is increasingly facilitated by technology, but evidence of its prevalence and characteristics remains scarce. Reliable population-based data is critical to understand the magnitude and nature of the problem, and inform evidence-based prevention.
Objective
To determine the prevalence of nonconsensual sharing of sexual images of the child by any perpetrator, and of online sexual solicitation by any adult perpetrator; and to determine the characteristics of these experiences.
Participants and setting
A nationally representative sample of 3500 individuals aged 16–24 years in Australia, comprising a sub-sample of participants in the Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS).
Methods
We administered the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire-R2: Adapted Version (ACMS). Survey items captured self-reported information from participants about whether, before age 18, they had experienced nonconsensual sharing of sexual images of themselves by any perpetrator, and online sexual solicitation by an adult. Follow-up items generated information about the characteristics of these experiences. We generated weighted national prevalence estimates for each experience, and estimated chronicity (number of times the experience occurred), age at onset, and perpetrator characteristics.
Results
National prevalence of nonconsensual sharing of sexual images of the child before age 18 was 7.6 % (95 % CI 6.6–8.6 %), and of online sexual solicitation by an adult was 17.7 % (95 % CI 16.3–19.2 %). Girls were significantly more likely than boys to experience both nonconsensual image sharing victimization (10.9 % v 3.8 %) and online sexual solicitation by an adult (26.3 % v 7.6 %) before age 18. Gender diverse individuals experienced higher online sexual solicitation (47.9 %), although cell sizes were small. Chronicity of online sexual solicitation (median: n = 5) was higher than nonconsensual image sharing victimization (median: n = 2). Median ages at onset were 15 (image sharing) and 14 (sexual solicitation). Most perpetrators of nonconsensual image sharing were other known adolescents (48.8 %) and adolescents who were current or former romantic partners (23.4 %), while perpetrators of online sexual solicitation were typically unknown adults (86.7 %).
Conclusions
Online childhood sexual victimization is widespread in Australia, especially for girls. Many children's experiences begin in middle childhood, and events are often chronic. Results can inform enhanced targeted prevention efforts.
How Facility Dogs Impact Interviewer’s Questions and Details Provided by Children in Forensic Interviews
(Investigative Interviewing: Research and Practice, 2024) Cyr, M., Dion, J., Daignault, I. V., Gendron, A., & Côté, É.
To date, no study has examined whether
the presence of a facility dog during
forensic interviews assists children in
sharing their abuse accounts, without
altering the non-suggestive behaviors
desired by the investigators and children.
This study’s purpose was to compare 92
forensic interviews conducted by the
same investigators, with and without a
facility dog, by examining whether in the
presence of a dog: 1) children provided
more details about the alleged events,
and 2) interviewers continued to adhere
to the protocol and use non-suggestive
questions. These interviews were
conducted by 14 investigators, using the
NICHD protocol, with children aged
between 4 and 15 years who were
suspected of being sexually or physically abused. A generalized linear mixed model
analysis revealed that a facility dog’s
presence showed no significant effect on
the proportion of details in the
interview’s transition and substantive
phases. No significant difference was
observed between the two groups on
three of the four scales of the protocol
adherence and no significant difference
was found on questions asked during the
interview. Overall, this study’s results did
not support the hypothesis that the
presence of a dog facilitates children’s
accounts. These findings should be
replicated through interviews conducted
using different types of interview
protocols.
Enhancing the Contribution of Interview Monitors to Child Forensic Interviews
(Investigative Interviewing: Research and Practice, 2024) Heather L. Price and Renee Brand
Investigative interviews with children are
often conducted with the assistance of an
interview monitor in an adjacent room
who watches the interview live via video
and can consult with the interviewer as
needed. Yet, little is known about the
characteristics of the most effective
interviewer-monitor interactions. The
aim of the present research was to
explore experienced interviewers’
perceptions of the interview monitor role
and, ultimately, to provide guidance on
effective use of the role. In the present
study, 13 experienced interviewers and
monitors were interviewed about their
perceptions and experiences with
interview monitoring. There was a
general perception that the role of the
interview monitor was underappreciated
and had the potential to make more substantive contributions to the quality
of the investigative interview. Several key
elements to enhance the effectiveness of
interview monitoring were identified,
including the development of clear
guidelines, how to effectively use withininterview consultation, and the potential
for the monitoring role to enhance
professional practice of both interviewers
and monitors. Recommendations for
clarity and guidelines surrounding the
interview monitor role and
considerations for future research are
discussed.
Interventions to address empathy-based stress in mental health workers: A scoping review and research agenda
(Plos one, 2024) May, H., Millar, J., Griffith, E., Gillmore, C., Kristoffersen, M., Robinson, R., & West, M.
Consistently engaging with client distress can negatively impact mental health workers (MHWs). This has been described by the concept of empathy-based stress (EBS) (which encompasses burnout; secondary traumatic stress; compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma). Previous reviews of interventions to reduce EBS have not addressed MHWs as a distinct group, despite evidence suggesting they are particularly vulnerable to it. In the context of rising demand for mental health services, it is especially important to understand how to mitigate the impact of EBS on MHWS. This scoping review therefore aimed to identify and describe available interventions to reduce or prevent EBS in MHWs. A systematic scoping review of the literature between 1970 and 2022 was undertaken using five electronic databases. A total of 51 studies were included, which varied significantly with regards to: interventions used; study methodology and theoretical underpinnings. Studies were grouped according to the level at which they aimed to intervene, namely: individual; team or organisational. The review concluded that most studies intervened at the level of the individual, despite the proposed causes of EBS being predominantly organisational. Furthermore, theoretical links to the origins of EBS were largely unclear. This suggests a lack of empirical evidence from which organisations employing MHWs can draw, to meaningfully prevent or reduce EBS in their staff. A dedicated research agenda is outlined to address this, and, other pertinent issues in the field and signifies a call for more theoretically grounded research.