Familial dysfunction intuitively plays a crucial role in father-child incest offending, but concerningly little research has examined fathers' familial relationships. This study phenomenologically interpreted intimate relationships to parents, partners, children, and self of six fathers convicted of incestuously abusing their children. The participants' narratives spanned two superordinate and five subordinate themes. (1) Complex construals of care, comprised: (1.1) Intergenerational complexity, characterised by the participants' complexity to integrate the experiences of both abuse and care in their upbringing; (1.2) Instrumentalised fatherhood, which detailed their instrumental and utilitarian execution of parenting; and (1.3) The fragmented father, which describes the fragmentation of the participants' father identities. The second superordinate theme, (2) Intimately resented, comprised: (2.1) Craving adoration, inflicting harm, characterised by the discrepancy of participants' yearning for adoration and intimacy, and how the absence thereof was related to feelings of resentment and inadequacy in their masculinities and themselves; and (2.2) Spurned retaliation, which reflected the participants' feelings of entitlement to intimacy and sex, and grievances related to the rejection thereof. This study finds that familial dysfunction is a core component to father-child incest offending, with central experiences of rejection and entitlement, and encourages future studies to explore intimate dynamics as an explanatory mechanism of incest.Practical Impact StatementLonging for, entitlement to, and rejection of intimacy and adoration were central experiences in fathers' narrated cascading sequence to incest. Feelings of grievance and hostility are relatively unexplored in child sexual abuse, but the unique interplay of intimate relationships to adult partners and children in incest offending suggests these might be important avenues to explore in future research.
The prevailing narrative about sexual violence in academic and policy discussions depicts sexual assault mainly as a male-on-female crime. Women's complicity in gender-based violence (GBV) is rarely studied. To address this, this qualitative study explores women's involvement in orchestrating sexual assault against other women within Nigeria's sociocultural and patriarchal context. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 23 participants, comprising 13 survivors and 10 women who facilitated sexual violence, and a thematic analysis of the narratives was conducted. Findings demonstrated that complex sociocultural and patriarchal dynamics often shape women's roles and complicity in GBV against fellow women. Survivors' accounts and offenders' narratives highlight that such complicity is not merely a matter of individual deviance but is deeply embedded within broader structures of gendered power, coercion, and survival strategies. These insights underscore the need for stronger policies that deter complicity, empower women, and address the sociocultural foundations of sexual violence.PRACTICE IMPACT STATEMENTFor practitioners, the study emphasises the need for survivor-centered support that accounts for the added psychological burden of betrayal by other women. Policymakers and advocacy groups can use these insights to strengthen community education, challenge cultural practices that normalise complicity, and expand gender-based violence interventions to address overlooked dynamics of female facilitation.
Sexual harassment is prevalent in the healthcare and social welfare sector and has detrimental effects on mental health. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a valid measure capturing sexual harassment by supervisors and colleagues in these sectors. A comprehensive framework conceptualises sexual harassment as nonverbal, verbal, and physical harassment, sexual coercion, and gender-based sexual discrimination. Construct and criterion validity were examined in a study with employees from the healthcare and social welfare sector (N = 905) assessing experiences of sexual harassment and mental health. The analyses indicated that the newly developed Sexually Harassing Behaviour Questionnaire (SHBQ-I) reliably captures sexual harassment from an intra-organisational perspective. The scales showed highly significant associations with clinically relevant mental health outcomes. The SHBQ-I can be used to assess sexual harassment by colleagues and supervisors and may support future research on prevalence and health consequences, highlighting the need for effective prevention measures.PRACTICE IMPACT STATEMENTSexual harassment is a major stressor in the healthcare and social welfare sector, which is related to various detrimental mental health outcomes. We developed a context-specific measure designed to assess different forms of sexual harassment by supervisors and colleagues. Understanding the specific forms of sexual harassment prevalent within an institution enables the implementation of effective prevention strategies to protect employees' mental health.
Harmful sexual behaviour (HSB) in childhood is a complex and contested field of practice. While traditionally viewed through criminological and risk-oriented lenses, contemporary scholarship increasingly recognises that such framings inadequately capture the developmental, relational and social contexts in which children's sexual behaviours emerge. This paper critiques the enduring dominance of forensic paradigms in the conceptualisation and management of HSB, arguing that these approaches risk casting children into a conceptual "sin bin" that obscures their status and rights as children. Drawing on insights from childhood studies, developmental psychology and critical social theory, the paper repositions HSB as a phenomenon of disrupted childhood. It advocates for a reframing of policy and practice that foregrounds children's agency, social ecologies and developmental trajectories, while resisting reductive narratives of risk and recidivism. The paper concludes by proposing a rights-based, developmentally informed framework for understanding and responding to HSB that recognises both the complexity and humanity of the children involved.PRACTICE IMPACT STATEMENTThis paper applies insights from childhood studies to reframe harmful sexual behaviour as a problem of disrupted development rather than criminal deviance. It calls for proportionate, trauma-informed interventions that strengthen developmental pathways, rebuild relationships and foster children's long-term wellbeing, rather than simply interrupting behaviour.
Children and young people displaying Harmful Sexual Behaviour (HSB) often present with complex needs and vulnerability factors that include experiences of early life adversity and neurodevelopmental, learning or mental health needs. Current guidelines recommend a specialist approach with multi-agency working. However, there is great variation in service structure and provision across the UK. This practice paper describes the development and implementation of a specialist pathway for children and young people who display Harmful Sexual Behaviours (HSB). This paper outlines the demographic and clinical characteristics of young people referred to an HSB service compared to a general CAMHS cohort. Feedback is gathered from professionals, young people and their parents/carers accessing the service, and analysed through quantitative and qualitative methods. A case study is used to illustrate the application of the pathway in practice. Practice implications focus on early identification of unmet neurodevelopmental, learning and mental health needs, workforce training and consideration of racial and ethnic disparities in service provision.PRACTICE IMPACT STATEMENTThe implementation of a consultation-based HSB forum within a multi-agency model led to increased professional confidence, clearer safety planning and enhanced collaborative care planning.The pathway model provides a structured process for identifying unmet neurodevelopmental, learning and mental health needs, reducing delays associated with multiple referrals across several CAMHS teams.A greater proportion of young people referred to the HSB service presented with undiagnosed or unassessed neurodevelopmental conditions (e.g. ADHD, Autism, intellectual disability). This highlights the need for preventative workforce training to identify needs prior to HSB presentation, and consistent implementation of developmentally informed assessment frameworks.The current findings further highlight racial and ethnic disparities, with more males from minoritised groups, and in particular Black males, accessing mental health services through criminal justice pathways than white children.
Deepfake pornography represents a rapidly expanding form of image-based sexual abuse (IBSA), yet little is known about the psychological factors that predict individuals' willingness to create such material. This study examined whether rape myth acceptance (RMA) and Dark Tetrad traits (Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism) predicted heterosexual men's proclivity to create deepfake pornography. Using an online self-report survey of 213 heterosexual men recruited from an Australian university and the surrounding community, participants completed measures of RMA, dark personality traits, and hypothetical scenarios assessing the likelihood of creating deepfake pornography. Hierarchical regression models showed that RMA attitudes that minimise or excuse harm significantly predicted proclivity to create deepfake pornography, whereas victim-blaming attitudes and dark personality traits did not. A Friedman test demonstrated that participants were significantly more willing to create deepfake pornography when the target was a celebrity rather than a personally known individual. These findings highlight the central role of harm-minimising and excusal attitudes in enabling engagement with technologically manipulated sexual abuse, underscoring the need for prevention and intervention strategies targeting attitudinal change.PRACTICE IMPACT STATEMENTThis study highlights the need for prevention and intervention programmes to address beliefs that minimise or excuse harm in deepfake pornography. Effective strategies should challenge myths that downplay the seriousness of digitally manipulated sexual abuse and emphasise the real psychological and social harms experienced by victims.
This paper examines how safeguarding professionals in 30 English secondary schools respond to harmful sexual behaviour (HSB), drawing on qualitative data from a three-year action research project. Educators described navigating tensions between procedural compliance, emotional labour and the need for contextually responsive practice. Applying Lang, Little and Cronen's (1990) domains of production, explanation and aesthetics, the paper conceptualises safeguarding as a multidimensional praxis shaped by systems, meaning-making and relational dynamics. Findings show that safeguarding often privileges compliance over trust, reflexivity and student voice. Staff reported emotional strain and inadequate structural support, while students expressed scepticism towards adult-led safeguarding perceived as disconnected from their experiences. The paper argues for relational and holistic approaches, incorporating restorative practices, student participation and strengths-based work. It calls for a move from reactive, individualised models towards a public health paradigm centred on wellbeing, contextual understanding and the co-production of safety.
There is limited research on the multifaceted nature of victim-blaming, particularly regarding variations based on the outcome of sexual violence and the sex of the survivor and perpetrator, and how these factors influence bystander behaviour. As such, this study utilised data from 2,884 participants at four Midwestern U.S. universities. Participants were randomly assigned to one of eight conditions, read a scenario, and answered questions about blame. The sex of the survivor and perpetrator, and the outcome of the assault, were manipulated. The outcome of the sexual assault was either "completed" (rape occurred) or "stopped" (assault was halted). Findings revealed that male survivors received higher victim-blame and self-blame, the "completed" condition had less victim-blaming but more self-blame, and bystander behaviour correlated with increased victim-blaming. Survivors of sexual violence exhibited significantly higher levels of self-blame than non-survivors. The study's implications, recommendations for improving training programmes, and future research are discussed.
Although the effects of child sexual abuse are well documented, less is known about how abuse differs when the perpetrator is someone close to the child and how this shapes grooming and outcomes. This study surveyed 295 adult survivors using anonymous online questionnaires. Perpetrator relationship was measured on a 4-point scale from stranger to nuclear family member. As relational closeness increased, grooming involving drugs or alcohol (p = .002) and threats or violence (p = .028) also increased. Closer kinship was associated with earlier onset, greater severity (p < .001), and more frequent abuse (p < .001). Among 262 participants reporting gender (223 female, 39 male), girls were more likely than boys to be abused by closely related perpetrators (d = .77). Kinship was also linked to higher trauma symptoms on the TSC-40 (p = .016). These findings highlight the importance of considering relational context in assessment and intervention.
In the context of child sexual abuse research and practice, limited attention has been given to non-abused, non-abusing siblings. These are children who were not themselves sexually abused, nor did they exhibit sexually harmful behaviours. Rather, they are the "uninvolved" sibling of children who have experienced intrafamilial sexual abuse. Available research finds these siblings may be profoundly impacted by the discovery of sexual abuse in the family, with vital implications for service provision, program development and child protection policymaking. This study explores the perspectives of ten helping professionals with expertise in child sexual abuse to identify promising practices for intervention. Three core therapeutic issues and realities are addressed (exposure to trauma, service barriers and the importance of including siblings in therapy). The paper concludes with recommendations for future research and promising practices for and with siblings following the discovery of child sexual abuse in the home.
This paper reports evaluation research of a pilot of Stop It Now! Australia, a child sexual abuse perpetration-prevention programme. While the service continues, this paper relates to a 13-month trial period between September 2022 and September 2023. A Theoretical Framework of Acceptability was applied. Qualitative one-hour individual interviews (n = 23) were conducted with service users, police and practitioners, and two further group interviews were undertaken with practitioners. The data analysis was guided by the research question: How do Stop It Now! Australia service users, police and practitioners perceive the acceptability of the service? Overall, the participants found the service acceptable. People concerned about themselves reported taking prevention action, and police were relieved to provide perpetrators and families with a referral. Practitioners felt gratified to be delivering a service to keep children safe. Challenges emerged in relation to the scope of the service and the mandatory reporting landscape in Australia.
This study examines the association between Argentina's Integral Sexual Education Law (ESI) and headteachers' interventions in adverse school experiences in primary schools. Using a school-level panel dataset from the APRENDER national assessments (2018, 2021, and 2023), covering over 600,000 students and approximately 20,000 schools per wave, we analyse how different ESI implementation strategies relate to reported interventions. For this purpose, we employ fixed-effects panel regressions to account for time-invariant school characteristics. The results indicate that ESI implementation is associated with a higher likelihood of headteachers' interventions, particularly when delivered through dedicated modules in special classes by regular staff or external specialists. These findings are consistent with the interpretation that comprehensive sexuality education may foster greater recognition and reporting of problematic situations. Overall, the results highlight the potential role of ESI in shaping school responses and contribute to addressing gaps in the evidence on the societal impacts of sexual education programmes.PRACTICE IMPACT STATEMENTThis study highlights how comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), when effectively implemented, can reduce students' experiences of violence, discrimination and harassment. By identifying key mechanisms - such as increased emotional literacy, recognition of abuse, and improved school climate - these findings provide actionable insights for educators, policymakers, and school administrators seeking to foster safer and more inclusive educational environments. The evidence supports strengthening CSE programmes, particularly in rural or religiously influenced areas, where barriers to implementation are more pronounced.
This study examined anonymous survey data from a community sample of participants aged 18-30 (N = 1,164), focusing on the quality of their relationship with their closest-in-age biological sibling and their self-reported propensity for sibling sexual abuse (SSA). Propensity was assessed through participants' reactions to a fictional vignette depicting SSA. Higher-quality sibling relationships were associated with lower propensity for SSA (b = -0.46, p < .001). The protective effect of sibling relationship quality on SSA propensity was greater for same-gender sibling pairs (b = -0.88, p < .001, n = 534) compared to opposite-gender sibling pairs (b = -0.14, p = .414, n = 630), and when participants were older than their sibling (b = -0.78, p < .001, n = 650) rather than younger (b = -0.12, p = .512, n = 514). As such, interventions aimed at preventing SSA could benefit from incorporating strategies that foster positive sibling relationships.
