Lisbet F Christiansen, Eva Langvik, Tale R Størdal, Anne Iversen
{"title":"\"It Could Be Anybody\" Content Analysis of Lay Perceptions of Individuals Committing Online Child Sexual Offences.","authors":"Lisbet F Christiansen, Eva Langvik, Tale R Størdal, Anne Iversen","doi":"10.1080/10538712.2025.2544145","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The aim of this study was to explore lay person perceptions of individuals who commit online child sexual offenses. Online sexual abuse of children encompasses a wide range of offenses. Shame due to stigma and fear of consequences are significant barriers to help-seeking among individuals who commit online child sexual abuse. Lay perceptions of individuals committing online child sexual offenses were explored through an online survey in Norway. Responses (<i>n</i> = 573) to a question asking the respondents to describe the typical online child sexual offender were analyzed through a qualitative content analysis resulting in four categories. The largest category, \"The average Joe\" represents a view that it could be anybody. The other categories substantiate more stereotypical perceptions: social marginalization, mental health issues, and antisocial personality. Results indicate that the lay perceptions of individuals who commit online child sexual offenses convey perceptual complexity in line with empirical findings and that media portrayal may contribute to nuancing perceptions. Knowledge of these perceptions may facilitate the development of interventions aiming at reducing stereotyping that hinders effective treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":47645,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","volume":"34 4","pages":"446-466"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Child Sexual Abuse","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2025.2544145","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/8/12 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"FAMILY STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The aim of this study was to explore lay person perceptions of individuals who commit online child sexual offenses. Online sexual abuse of children encompasses a wide range of offenses. Shame due to stigma and fear of consequences are significant barriers to help-seeking among individuals who commit online child sexual abuse. Lay perceptions of individuals committing online child sexual offenses were explored through an online survey in Norway. Responses (n = 573) to a question asking the respondents to describe the typical online child sexual offender were analyzed through a qualitative content analysis resulting in four categories. The largest category, "The average Joe" represents a view that it could be anybody. The other categories substantiate more stereotypical perceptions: social marginalization, mental health issues, and antisocial personality. Results indicate that the lay perceptions of individuals who commit online child sexual offenses convey perceptual complexity in line with empirical findings and that media portrayal may contribute to nuancing perceptions. Knowledge of these perceptions may facilitate the development of interventions aiming at reducing stereotyping that hinders effective treatment.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Child Sexual Abuse is interdisciplinary and provides an essential interface for researchers, academicians, attorneys, clinicians, and practitioners. The journal advocates for increased networking in the sexual abuse field, greater dissemination of information and research, a higher priority for this international epidemic, and development of effective assessment, intervention, and prevention programs. Divided into sections to provide clear information, the journal covers research issues, clinical issues, legal issues, prevention programs, case studies, and brief reports, focusing on three subject groups - child and adolescent victims of sexual abuse or incest, adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse or incest, and sexual abuse or incest offenders.