Experiences and psychological health among children exposed to online child sexual abuse - a mixed methods study of court verdicts

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 (childr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychology, crime & law crime & law, 2021-02, Vol.27 (2), p.159-181
Main Authors: Joleby, Malin, Landström, Sara, Lunde, Carolina, Jonsson, Linda S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abused children
Child abuse & neglect
Child sexual abuse
Children
Children’s experiences
Court decisions
Court verdicts
Courts
Crime
Health
Internalization
Judiciary
Loneliness
Mental health
Mixed methods research
Online child sexual abuse
Pedophilia
Psychological consequences
Psychological well being
Psychology
Psykologi
Research methodology
Self esteem
Sex crimes
Suicide
Victims
Vulnerability
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Summary: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 self-esteem, 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.
ISSN:1068-316X
1477-2744
1477-2744
DOI:10.1080/1068316X.2020.1781120