NCJ Number
241771
Journal
Aggression and Violent Behavior Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Dated: January/February 2013 Pages: 135-146
Date Published
February 2013
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This literature review identifies risk factors that may increase a young person's vulnerability to being "groomed" by a sexual predator online.
Abstract
The relevant research indicates that various factors contribute to a young person's becoming vulnerable to online sexual solicitation, and not all youth are vulnerable in the same way. Each risk factor that a young person exhibits reduces his/her resilience, which increases the likelihood of response to a groomer's initiatives or for the youth to instigate contact with a potential groomer. Within individual vulnerabilities, research suggests that youth are particularly vulnerable to online grooming if they are female, are questioning their sexuality (male or female), are an adolescent, or have a disability. Similar to offline sexual abuse, interpersonal features, such as low self-esteem and mental health problems are reported to increase a young person's vulnerability to online grooming. Parent and family vulnerabilities to online victimization have begun to be recognized; findings are apparently consistent with vulnerabilities toward sexual abuse offline. Protective factors against online grooming within the parent and family domain include parental monitoring of a child's Internet use, the youth's awareness of such monitoring, and supportive parent relationships. Although tentative links have been drawn between low socioeconomic status, research on this connection in online grooming is inconclusive. Community vulnerabilities to online grooming are fairly consistent with community vulnerability to offline sexual abuse; these factors include social isolation and weak or limited peer support. Although children's use of the Internet continues to increase, research into sexual offenses that involve Internet use is in an early stage, requiring further investigation. Suggestions are offered for additional research. 1 table, 1 figure, and 158 references