In Their Own Words: Young Peoples’ Vulnerabilities to Being Groomed and Sexually Abused Online

Helen C. Whittle, Catherine E. Hamilton-Giachritsis, Anthony R. Beech

1Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre, London, UK 2School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.

DOI: 10.4236/psych.2014.510131                

Abstract

Little is known about why some children and young people are vulnerable to being groomed online, yet this has important implications for policy, practice and prevention. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify factors contributing to a young person’s vulnerability towards online grooming. Thematic Analysis was conducted on eight interviews with young people (six females and two males) who had experienced online grooming, resulting in sexual abuse online and/or offline. The reasons why participants engaged with the offenders varied on most levels of the Bron-fenbrenner (1979) ecological model (including individual, family, community and society). The loss of family protection was found to be central in contributing to vulnerability, as is online risk taking behavior. Three victim vulnerability scenarios emerged: 1) multiple long-term risk factors, 2) trigger events and 3) online behavioral risks. In each of these scenarios, parental and family factors were very important. It is suggested that further research is needed to investigate the applicability of these scenarios to other samples. Recommendations include parent and carer communication and involvement with their children’s internet use, as well as consistent, early onset internet safety education.

Keywords

Online Grooming, Victims, Child Sexual Abuse, Vulnerabilities

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Baumgartner, S. E., Valkenburg, P.M., & Peter, J. (2010). Unwanted Online Sexual Solicitation and Risky Sexual Online Behaviour across the Lifespan. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 31, 439-447. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2010.07.005
[2]	Berson, I. R. (2003). Groomingcybervictims: The Psychological Effects of Online Exploitation for Youth. Journal of School Violence, 2, 9-18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J202v02n01_02
[3]	Bowlby, J. (1969/1982). Attachment and Loss, Volume 1, Attachment. New York: Basic Books.
[4]	Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments by Nature and Design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
[5]	Chapple, C. L., & Johnson, K. A. (2007). Gender Differences in Impulsivity. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 5, 221-234. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1541204007301286
[6]	Choo, K. R. (2009). Online Child Grooming: A Literature Review on the Misuse of Social Networking Sites for Grooming Children for Sexual Offences. Australian Institute of Criminology. http://www.aic.gov.au
[7]	Durkin, K. (1995). Developmental Social Psychology: From Infancy to Old Age. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishers Ltd.
[8]	European Online Grooming Project: Webster, S., Davidson, J., Bifulco, A., Gottschalk, P., Caretti, V., Pham, T., & Grove-Hills, J. (2012). European Online Grooming Project Final Report, European Union. http://www.european-online-grooming-project.com/
[9]	Hamilton-Giachritsis, C. E., Peixoto, C. S., & Melo, A. (2011). Risk Assessment and Intervention. In T. Magalhaes (Ed.), Abuse and Neglect Series 1: To Improve the Management of Child Abuse and Neglect (pp. 89-131). Portugal: SPECAN.
[10]	Huebner, S. (2001). Manual for the Multidimensional Student’s Life Satisfaction Scale. USA: University of South Carolina.
[11]	Kloess, J. A., Beech, A. R., & Harkins, L. (2014). Online Child Sexual Exploitation: Prevalence, Process, Offender Characteristics. Trauma, Violence & Abuse, 15, 126-139. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1524838013511543
[12]	Livingstone, S., Haddon, L., Gorzig, A., & Olafsson, K. (2011). EU Kids Online September 2011. http://www.lse.ac.uk/media%40lse/research/EUKidsOnline/EU%20Kids% 20II%20%282009-11%29/EUKidsOnlineIIReports/Final%20report.pdf
[13]	Masten, A. S., & Powell, J. L. (2003). A Resilience Framework for Research, Policy and Practice. In S. S. Luthar (Eds.), Resilience and Vulnerability: Adaptation in the Context of Childhood Adversities (pp. 1-26). New York: Cambridge University Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511615788.003
[14]	Meeus, W. (2011). The Study of Adolescent Identity Formation 2000-2010: A Review of Longitudinal Research. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21, 75-94. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-7795.2010.00716.x
[15]	Mitchell, J. G., Finkelhor, D., & Wolak, J. (2007a). Youth Internet Users at Risk for the Most Serious Online Sexual Solicitations. American Journal of Preventative Medicine, 32, 532-537. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2007.02.001
[16]	Mitchell, K. J., Finkelhor, D., & Wolak, J. (2007b). Online Requests for Sexual Pictures from Youth: Risk Factors and Incident Characteristics. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41, 196-203. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2007.03.013
[17]	Mosher, W. D., Chandra, A., & Jones, J. (2005). Sexual Behavior and Selected Health Measures: Men and Women 15 -44 Years of Age, United States, 2002. Advance Data (CDC), 362. http://www.cdc.gov.nchs/data/ad/ad362.pdf
[18]	Noll, J. G., Shenk, C. E., Barnes, J. E., & Haralson, K. J. (2013). Association of Maltreatment with High-Risk Internet Behaviors and Offline Encounters. Pediatrics, 131, e510-e517. http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2012-1281
[19]	Noll, J. G., Shenk, C. E., Barnes, J. E., & Putnam, F. W. (2009). Childhood Abuse, Avatar Choices, and Other Risk Factors Associated with Internet-Initiated Victimization of Adolescent Girls. American Academy of Pediatrics, 123, 1078-1083.
[20]	O’Connell, R. (2003). A Typology of Cyber Sexploitation and Online Grooming Practices. Preston: University of Central Lancashire. http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Society/documents/2003/07/24/Netpaedoreport.pdf
[21]	O’Leary, P. J., & Barber, J. (2008). Gender Differences in Silencing Following Childhood Sexual Abuse. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse: Research, Treatment, and Program Innovations for Victims, Survivors, and Offenders, 17, 133-143.
[22]	Olson, L. N., Daggs, J. L., Ellevold, B. L., & Rogers, T. K. K. (2007). Entrapping the Innocent: Toward a Theory of Child Sexual Predators’ Luring Communication. Communication Theory, 17, 231-251.
[23]	Pharo, H., Sim, C., Graham, M., Gross, J., & Hayne, H. (2011). Risky Business: Executive Function, Personality and Reckless Behavior during Adolescence and Early Adulthood. Behavioral Neuroscience, 125, 970-978. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0025768
[24]	Quayle, E., Jonsson, L., & Loof, L. (2012). Online Behaviour Related to Child Sexual Abuse: Interviews with Affected Young People. Council of the Baltic Sea States, Stockholm: ROBERT Project.
[25]	ROBERT Project (2012). Final Report and Recommendations ROBERT Project Summary. European Commission. http://www.childcentre.info/robert/
[26]	Rogers, P., Wczasek, R., & Davies, M. (2011). Attributions of Blame in a Hypothetical Internet Solicitation Case: Roles of Victim Naivety, Parental Neglect and Respondent Gender. Journal of Sexual Aggression, 17, 196-214. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13552601003664869
[27]	Rolf, J. E. (1999). Resilience: An Interview with Norman Garmezy. In M. D. Glantz, & J. L. Johnson (Eds.), Resilience and Development: Positive Life Adaptations (pp. 5-14). New York: Kluwer.
[28]	Romer, D. (2010). Adolescent Risk Taking, Impulsivity, and Brain Development: Implications for Prevention. Developmental Psychobiology, 52, 263-276. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/dev.20442
[29]	Sameroff, A., Gutman, L. M., & Peck, S. C. (2003). Adaptation among Youth Facing Multiple Risks: Prospective Research Findings. In S. S. Luthar (Ed.), Resilience and Vulnerability: Adaptation in the Context of Childhood Adversities (pp. 364-392). New York: Cambridge University Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511615788.017
[30]	Shoon, I. (2006). Risk and Resilience: Adaptations in Changing Times. New York: CUP. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511490132
[31]	Soto, C. J., John, O. P., Gosling, S. D., & Potter, J. (2011). Age Differences in Personality Traits from 10 to 65: Big Five Domains and Facets in a Large Cross-Sectional Sample. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 100, 330-348. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0021717
[32]	Spear, L. P. (2010). The Behavioral Neuroscience of Adolescence. New York: Norton.
[33]	Subrahmanyam, K., Smahel, D., & Greenfield, P. (2006). Connecting Developmental Constructions to the Internet: Identity Presentation and Sexual Exploration in Online Teen Chat Rooms. Developmental Psychology, 42, 395-406. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.42.3.395
[34]	Suler, J. (2004). The Online Disinhibition Effect. Cyberpsychology and Behavior, 7, 321-326. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/1094931041291295
[35]	Sullivan, J. (2009). Professionals Who Sexually Abuse the Children with Whom They Work. Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis, School of Psychology, Birmingham: University of Birmingham.
[36]	UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) (2012). Identifying Vulnerable Children Online and What Strategies Can Help Them. Report of a Seminar Arranged by the UKCCIS Evidence Group. http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/44222/1/__Libfile_repository_Content_Livingstone,% 20S_Identifying%20vulnerable%20children%20online%20and%20what% 20strategies%20can%20help%20them%20%28LSE%20RO%29.pdf
[37]	Wells, M., & Mitchell, K. J. (2008). How Do High Risk Youth Use the Internet? Characteristics and Implications for Prevention. Child Maltreatment, 13, 227-234.
[38]	Werner, E. E., & Smith, R. S. (1992). Overcoming the Odds. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
[39]	Whittle, H. C., Hamilton-Giachritsis, C., & Beech, A. R. (2013). Victims’ Voices: The Impact of Online Grooming and Sexual Abuse. Universal Journal of Psychology, 1, 59-71.
[40]	Whittle, H. C., Hamilton-Giachritsis, C., & Beech, A. R. (In Submission) “Under His Spell”: A Victims Perspective of Being Groomed Online.
[41]	Whittle, H., Hamilton-Giachritsis, C., Beech, A., & Collings, G. (2013a). A Review of Young people’s Vulnerabilities to Online Grooming. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 18, 135-146. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2012.11.008
[42]	Whittle, H., Hamilton-Giachritsis, C., Beech, A., & Collings, G. (2013b). A Review of Online Grooming: Characteristics and Concerns. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 18, 62-70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2012.09.003
[43]	Wolak, J., Finkelhor, D., & Mitchell, K. J. (2004). Internet-Initiated Sex Crimes against Minors: Implications for Prevention Based on Findings from a National Study. Journal of Adolescent Health, 35, 424. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2004.05.006
[44]	Wolak, J., Finkelhor, D., Mitchell, K. J., & Ybarra, M. L. (2008). Online “Predators” and Their Victims: Myths, Realities and Implications for Prevention and Treatment. American Psychologist, 63, 111-128. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.63.2.111
[45]	Ybarra, M. L., Mitchell, K., Finkelhor, D., & Wolak, J. (2007). Internet Prevention Messages: Are We Targeting the Right Online Behaviors? Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 161, 138-145.
[46]	Young, A., Young, A., & Fullwood, H. (2007). Adolescent Online Victimization. The Prevention Researcher, 14, 8-9.