Changes in sexual thoughts and behaviors in a clinical sample of child sexual abuse material users under the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

LAY SUMMARYUsers of child sexual abuse material were interviewed about changes in their daily lives as well as sexual thoughts and behaviors during the COVID-19 restrictions. The changes found, such as in general mental health and sexual urges, can increase the risk for sexual offending and are therefore important to consider regarding possible future lockdowns. In this article, we describe a qualitative study in which we examined perceived effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on help-seeking individuals who access child sexual abuse material (CSAM, legally referred to as child pornography). The study recruited 18 participants who were part of the internet based Prevent It Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) clinical trial, which aims to reduce CSAM use and child exploitation, and were willing to answer questions during a semi-structured interview about the perceived impact of the pandemic restrictions on their lives, including their sexual thoughts and behaviors. Key themes that were identified from the participants' answers included changes in day-to-day life, mental health, sexual thoughts, behaviors or urges, responses and coping strategies used to deal with sexual urges, changes on the forums, positive changes, and how they could best be assisted with coping in this situation. Our qualitative analysis also suggested that the pandemic affected urges to use CSAM, therefore potentially increasing the risk of online sexual offending. These results support that there is a need to investigate this potential negative side effect of quarantines or lockdowns before future pandemics.