Department of Social Work, University of North Dakota, 225 Centennial Dr. Stop 7135, Grand Forks, ND, 58202-7135, USA.
Department of Social Work, National Taipei University, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
Arch Sex Behav. 2023 Oct;52(7):2799-2810. doi: 10.1007/s10508-023-02719-y. Epub 2023 Oct 25.
The rise in online sexual exposure and solicitation among youth has heightened concerns. Youth, due to their limited socio-cognitive capacity, face greater risks of online sexual victimization compared to adults. Unwanted online sexual solicitation (UOSS) is a concerning aspect of sexual victimization, encompassing requests for unwanted sexual talks, activities, and sharing personal sexual information or images online. This study, based on target congruence theory, examined UOSS risk and protective factors using a national-representative youth sample in Taiwan. In 2020, 19,556 students (Grades 5-12, average age 15, 50% male) participated in the school-based online survey. Hierarchical linear regression was used to determine the significance of UOSS predictors. Findings revealed a 15.4% prevalence of UOSS. Accounting for age and gender, target-vulnerability variables (self-esteem, bullying victimization, psychological distress) and target-gratifiability variables (online self-disclosure, time spent online) significantly linked to UOSS. Youth who were bullied, had greater psychological distress and online self-disclosure, and increased Internet use were prone to UOSS, while self-esteem mitigated risks. Bullying victimization and online self-disclosure were the strongest correlates of UOSS in Taiwan's youth, followed by psychological distress, Internet usage, and self-esteem. In sum, this study enriches the understanding of UOSS among Taiwanese youth and suggests strategies to prevent online sexual victimization. Enhancing self-esteem, promoting social media education including online privacy and self-disclose, tackling bullying, addressing psychological distress, and furnishing relevant services are crucial preventive measures. These findings offer guidance to parents, educators, and health professionals for supervising and steering adolescents' online conduct, presenting an evidence-based framework to avert online sexual victimization.
青少年网络性暴露和性引诱的增加引起了人们的关注。与成年人相比，青少年由于社会认知能力有限，面临更大的网络性受害风险。非自愿性网络性引诱（UOSS）是性受害的一个令人担忧的方面，包括要求进行非自愿性的性谈话、活动以及在网上分享个人性信息或图像。本研究基于目标一致性理论，使用台湾全国代表性青少年样本，考察了 UOSS 的风险和保护因素。在 2020 年，有 19556 名学生（5-12 年级，平均年龄 15 岁，50%为男性）参加了基于学校的在线调查。采用分层线性回归来确定 UOSS 预测因素的显著性。研究结果显示，UOSS 的患病率为 15.4%。考虑到年龄和性别，目标易损性变量（自尊、受欺凌、心理困扰）和目标满足性变量（在线自我披露、上网时间）与 UOSS 显著相关。受欺凌、心理困扰更大、在线自我披露更多、上网时间增加的青少年更容易受到 UOSS 的影响，而自尊则降低了风险。欺凌受害和在线自我披露是台湾青少年 UOSS 的最强相关因素，其次是心理困扰、互联网使用和自尊。总之，本研究丰富了对台湾青少年 UOSS 的认识，并提出了预防网络性受害的策略。增强自尊、推广包括在线隐私和自我披露在内的社交媒体教育、解决欺凌问题、应对心理困扰以及提供相关服务是至关重要的预防措施。这些发现为家长、教育者和健康专业人员提供了监督和引导青少年网络行为的指导，为避免网络性受害提供了一个基于证据的框架。
