Online child sexual victimisation and associated mental health outcomes
- Children & young people
- Disclosure
- Online abuse
- Prevalence
24 months
(funded by National Centre)
$180,395
Research
Project Lead
Professor Kerryann Walsh, Queensland University of Technology
Professor Ben Mathews, Queensland University of Technology
Project Team
Mariesa Nicholas, eSafety Commissioner
Dr Melanie Burton, eSafety Commissioner
Dr Sarah Napier, Australian Institute of Criminology
Background and Aim
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. 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.
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
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.
- Children & young people ,
- Disclosure ,
- Online abuse ,
- Prevalence