Analyzing the Experiences, Consequences, and Preventive Strategies of Online Sexual Abuse from the Perspective of Parents: A Grounded Theory Study

Hadi Gholamrezaei; Mohammad Reza Falsafinejad; Anahita Khodabakhshi-Koolaee

doi:10.61838/kman.jarac.2183

Authors

Hadi Gholamrezaei Department of Counseling, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Mohammad Reza Falsafinejad * Department of Assessment and Measurement, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran falsafinejad@atu.ac.ir

Anahita Khodabakhshi-Koolaee Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Faculty of Humanities, Khatam University, Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.61838/kman.jarac.2183

Keywords:

online sexual abuse, experiences, consequences and preventive strategies, grounded theory.

Abstract

Objective: The present study aimed to analyze the experiences, consequences, and preventive strategies of online sexual abuse from the perspective of parents.

Methods and Materials: This study was conducted using a qualitative grounded-theory approach in 2023. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 parents who were selected via snowball sampling. Data analysis revealed 3 main categories: online abuse as a traumatic experience, awareness as the key to overcoming problems, and traumatic environment and consequences.

Findings: The data revealed 7 axial codes (34 open codes): causal conditions (parenting style, public institutions and organizations, social customs and culture, and developmental changes); contextual conditions (ineffective shame and ineffective parenting); intervening conditions (parents’ traumatic behaviors); strategies (professional and communication strategies); consequences (taking care of child abuse), and the core phenomenon (online abuse as trauma; unpleasant psychological experiences and obsessive behaviors). The findings of the present study indicated that the most important consequences of online child sexual abuse include premature puberty, isolation, experiencing anxiety and panic, aggression, academic failure, posting photos and videos, masturbation, sex chatting, satisfying sexual curiosity, focusing on sexual issues in life, and seeking attention and approval.

Conclusion: The interviews with parents showed that the most important strategies for preventing online child sexual abuse include raising parents’ awareness of children’s developmental changes, teaching sexual issues, teaching life skills, updating information, consulting with experts, empathy with the child, monitoring the child, being an active listener, and setting limits on internet use. The insights from this study can help parents, school counselors, and families develop effective strategies to prevent online child sexual abuse.

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