Examining Parental Abilities to Recognize Sexual Grooming Behaviors of Child Sexual Abusers

Purpose: Identifying sexual grooming behaviors holds potential to reduce the occurrence of child sexual abuse (CSA) and increase disclosure rates. Given the influential role parents play in CSA prevention and the lack of previous research examining parent-specific sexual grooming recognition abilities, this study examined both generalized adult (i.e., parent and nonparent) and parent special abilities to recognize sexual grooming behaviors as identified in the Sexual Grooming Model (SGM), as well as the relationship between reported confidence in recognition abilities and measured abilities. Methods: The current study used an experimental vignette design among a sample of 420 parents and 445 nonparents to measure abilities to associate sexual grooming behaviors with CSA. Participants also rated how confident they felt in their abilities to recognize signs of sexual grooming. Results: Parental status did not have a significant impact on sexual grooming recognition abilities. However, the sample as a whole (i.e., parents and nonparents combined) were more likely to recognize sexual grooming when presented with behaviors from all of the SGM's stages or behaviors related to desensitization to touch and sexual content. Participant confidence in their recognition abilities did not predict measured abilities. Conclusion: Regardless of parental status, the sample did not strongly associate sexual grooming behaviors with CSA perpetration except when behaviors related to sexual content and physical touch were presented. This suggests heightened associations of more overt sexual grooming behaviors with CSA. The discrepancy found between confidence and recognition abilities calls for targeted educational efforts to increase awareness in types of behaviors that may be indicative of abuse.

Automated summary

This study examined the abilities of parents and non-parents to recognize sexual grooming behaviors, and found that the overall sample was more likely to recognize sexual grooming when presented with behaviors from all stages of the Sexual Grooming Model or behaviors related to desensitization to touch and sexual content. There was a discrepancy between participant confidence in their recognition abilities and their actual measured abilities, highlighting the need for targeted educational efforts to increase awareness in behaviors that may be indicative of abuse.