Commissioned research

Online child sexual victimisation and associated mental health outcomes

  • Children & young people
  • Disclosure
  • Online abuse
  • Prevalence
Project Length
24 months
Project Budget
(funded by National Centre)
$180,395
Funding Stream
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.

Related posts: 
  • Children & young people , 
  • Disclosure , 
  • Online abuse , 
  • Prevalence
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The National Centre for Action on Child Sexual Abuse (National Centre) respectfully acknowledges and celebrates the many Traditional Owners of the lands throughout Australia and pay our respects to ancestors of this country and Elders past and present. We recognise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, culture and lore have existed within Australia continuously for over 65,000 years.

We acknowledge the ongoing leadership of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia and those who have and continue to work tirelessly to address inequalities and improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice outcomes for children and young people. The National Centre is committed to ensuring that the voices of those whose lives are affected by the decisions governments make should fundamentally inform those decisions. First Nations voices must be heard, raised and amplified through a Voice to Parliament. It is time for genuine and significant reform to progress healing through the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

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 promote their effective protection and care.

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