Active Research

Online child sexual victimisation and associated mental health outcomes

    • Understanding child sexual abuse
    • Response to child sexual abuse
Research Topic areas 
  • Child sexual exploitation
  • Intersection with other violence/victimisation
  • Mental health
  • Online abuse
  • Prevalence
Project Duration
Start: July 2023
End: May 2025
Geographical Scope
Nation-wide
Populations
Victims and survivorsGeneral community
Adolescents (13-17 years)Young adults (18-25 years)
Gender
All genders

Project Lead

Professor Kerryann Walsh, Queensland University of Technology
Professor Ben Mathews, Queensland University of Technology

Project Team

Mariesa Nicholas, eSafety Commissioner

Background

This project will extend current research to generate nuanced evidence of the nature and severity of different types of online risks to Australian children and youth. Further, this project will identify risk profiles for different types of online child sexual victimisation, such as age of onset, and relationship to offender, and the associated mental health and health risk behaviour outcomes of these different experiences.

Aims

The core aim of this project is to advance understanding of the nature of online sexual victimisation in childhood and, in particular, its associated mental health outcomes.

Methods

The project extends current work in the Australian Child Maltreatment Study and analyses a dataset generated in a nationwide survey of 3,500 people aged 16-24 years.

Significance and Dissemination

This study will generate an understanding of the mental health outcomes associated with different experiences of different types of online child sexual victimisation. This evidence can inform a precision public health approach to improved prevention and responses.

Further Details

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Funding body:
The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse
Funding budget:
$180,395 grant
Monitoring and governance:
This project is guided by oversight of the Project Advisory Group
Webpage link:
https://nationalcentre.org.au/research/online-child-sexual-victimisation-and-associated-mental-health-outcomes/

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The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse (National Centre) respectfully acknowledges and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nations and pay our respects to ancestors and Elders past and present. We recognise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, culture and lore continue to lead Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and acknowledge the tireless work to pursue justice outcomes for children and young people.
 
The National Centre supports decisions affecting people’s lives being fundamentally informed by those people. And upholds truth telling and agreement making for justice as essential components of healing.
 
We seek to honour the lived and living expertise of all victims and survivors of child sexual abuse, harnessing all ages, cultures, abilities and backgrounds, and commit to substantially addressing the harm of child sexual abuse, now and well into the future.
 
We recognise that there are children and young people today who are experiencing sexual abuse and dedicate ourselves to doing all we can to expedite and promote their effective protection and care.

Supported by

Back to top

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Needs of victims and survivors

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Read More
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Read More
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Read More
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Read More
Preventing repeat child exploitation material offending: An international evaluation of the CEM-COPE Program
Read More
Conceptualising and Estimating the Costs of Child Sexual Exploitation (Phase One of Australian Study into Economic Costs of Child Sexual Exploitation)
Read More
The Australian child sexual abuse attitudes, knowledge and response study
Read More
An environmental scan of Child Sexual Abuse related workforce training offerings in Australia
Read More
CHANGE – curtailing harm and navigating growth: evidence for change pathways of young people who have engaged in harmful sexual behaviour
Read More
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Read More
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Read More
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Read More

Identification of child sexual abuse

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Read More
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Read More
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Read More
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Read More
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Read More
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Read More
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Read More
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Read More

Disclosure of child sexual abuse

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Read More
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Read More
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Read More
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Read More
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Read More
Improving legal, policy and practice responses to the intersection of domestic violence perpetration and child sexual abuse offending
Read More
Investigating experiences of child sexual abuse disclosure and disbelief in the Family Court
Read More
Understanding the experiences of child sexual abuse disclosure in Australia in the wake of the Royal Commission
Read More
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Read More
Supporting continuous quality improvement in safeguarding at Hockey Australia and other national sporting organisations
Read More
Community as experts: investigating the context, needs and help-seeking pathways for child sexual abuse survivors and their supporters in the NSW Bega Valley
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