Epidemiology of online sexual solicitation and interaction of minors with adults: A longitudinal study

Abstract

Background: There have been very few longitudinal studies on online sexual solicitation and the online interaction between minors and adults. Still less evidence exists on the relationship of these problems with minors' Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). Objective: This study aimed to analyze the point prevalence, period prevalence (prevalence over time) and incidence (new cases over time) of online sexual solicitation and interactions between minors and adults throughout three consecutive time periods and to compare the HRQoL among categories of victims (non-victims, new victims, ceased victims, intermittent victims, and stable victims). Participants and setting: The participants were 1029 Spanish students (43 % boys, 57 % girls), aged 12–15 years. Methods: A longitudinal study was conducted over a 13-month period, with measurements taken at three time points. Results: For sexual solicitation, the point prevalence was 11.3 % at wave 1 (W1), 11.9 % at wave 2 (W2), and 16.1 % at wave 3 (W3). For sexualized interactions, prevalence rates were 4.8 %, 7 %, and 7.1 %, respectively. However, throughout the study, almost 23 % of minors reported some sexual solicitation and 14 % reported some sexual interaction. In this same period of time, the incidence of new cases was 1 in 10. Being a victim during W1 meant that in W3, there was almost twice the risk of having a low HRQoL. In general, those who were not victims of either solicitation or sexualized interactions with adults presented better HRQoL than those who experienced victimization. Conclusions: This study presents the magnitude and seriousness of the problem and discusses the practical implications.