The Impact of Online Sexual Abuse on Children and Young People

Child sexual abuse (CSA) often leads to negative outcomes for victims, frequently over the long term. From recent qualitative research and supportive work with survivors there is reason to believe that image and/or online elements to sexual abuse add complexity and challenge to their recovery. This chapter attempts to pull together a picture of the negative impact of online sexual abuse drawing on all of these sources of knowledge. This includes exploration of why online and/or image elements in sexual abuse may worsen or complicate impact; why some children may be more negatively affected than others; how impact may change over time; where critical points of vulnerability may lie; and how emotions, meanings and experiences around online sexual abuse may play into subsequent difficulties. The chapter concludes by drawing out implications for work with children and families and suggesting directions for further research.

Section: 6 _eprint: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/9781118977545.ch6