The current study aimed at exploring adolescents’ experiences of online sexual contacts leading to online sexual abuse by a perpetrator whom the victim had first met online. Associations with socio demographic background, experience of abuse, relation to parents, health and risk behaviors were studied. The participants were a representative national sample of 5175 students in the third year of the Swedish high school Swedish (M age = 17.97). Analyses included bivariate statistics and stepwise multiple logistic regression models. In total 330 (5.8%) adolescents had gotten to know someone during the preceding 12 months for the purpose of engaging in some kind of sexual activity online. Thirty-two (9.7%) of those, the index group, had felt that they had been persuaded, pressed or coerced on at least one occasion. Sexual interaction under pressure was seen as constituting sexual abuse. These adolescent victims of online sexual abuse, the index group, did not differ with respect to socio-demographic background from the adolescents without this experience, the reference group. The index group had significantly more prior experiences of different kind of abuse, indicating that they belong to a polyvictimized group. More frequent risk behavior, poorer psychological health, poorer relationships with parents and lower self-esteem also characterized the index group. Online sexual abuse, without experiences of offline abuse, was associated with a poorer psychological health, at least at the same level as offline sexual abuse only. The study made clear the importance of viewing online sexual abuse as a serious form of sexual abuse. Professionals meeting these children need to focus not only on their psychological health such as symptoms of trauma and depression but also need to screen them for online behavior, online abuse and other forms of previous abuse.

中文翻译：

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犯罪者在网上对青少年进行性虐待：一项横断面研究

目前的研究旨在探索青少年在线性接触的经历，导致受害者首次在网上遇到的犯罪者进行在线性虐待。研究了与社会人口背景、虐待经历、与父母的关系、健康和危险行为的关联。参与者是瑞典高中三年级（M 年龄 = 17.97）的 5175 名学生的代表性全国样本。分析包括双变量统计和逐步多元逻辑回归模型。在过去的 12 个月中，共有 330 名 (5.8%) 青少年结识了某人，目的是在网上进行某种性活动。其中 32 人（9.7%），即指数组，至少有一次感到他们被说服、施压或胁迫。在压力下的性互动被视为构成性虐待。这些网络性虐待的青少年受害者（指数组）在社会人口背景方面与没有这种经历的青少年（参考组）没有差异。指数组有更多不同类型虐待的先前经历，表明他们属于一个多受害群体。更频繁的危险行为、更差的心理健康、更差的与父母的关系和更低的自尊也是指数组的特征。没有线下虐待经历的线上性虐待与较差的心理健康有关，至少与线下性虐待处于同一水平。该研究明确了将在线性虐待视为一种严重的性虐待形式的重要性。