The DOI matches its Crossref record; 55 of the 55 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
A linguistic analysis of grooming strategies of online child sex offenders: Implications for our understanding of predatory sexual behavior in an increasingly computer-mediated world
Abstract
There is a large body of evidence to suggest that child sex offenders engage in grooming to facilitate victimization. It has been speculated that this step-by-step grooming process is also used by offenders who access their underage victims online; however, little research has been done to examine whether there are unique aspects of computer-mediated communication that impact the traditional face-to-face grooming process. This study considered the similarities and differences in the grooming process in online environments by analyzing the language used by online offenders when communicating with their victims. The transcripts of 44 convicted online offenders were analyzed to assess a proposed theory of the online grooming process (O'Connell, 2003). Using a stage-based approach, computerized text analysis examined the types of language used in each stage of the offender-victim interaction. The transcripts also were content analyzed to examine the frequency of specific techniques known to be employed by both face-to-face and online offenders, such as flattery. Results reveal that while some evidence of the strategies used by offenders throughout the grooming process are present in online environments, the order and timing of these stages appear to be different. The types (and potential underlying pattern) of strategies used in online grooming support the development of a revised model for grooming in online environments.
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“The use of flattery ('sexy best ass') is arguably designed to ingratiate, in order to gain compliance with the request, as has been noted in previous research (Black et al., 2015;Marcum, 2007;Williams et al., 2013;Winters et al., 2017).”
From A discursive analysis of compliance, resistance and escalation to threats in sexually exploitative interactions between offenders and male children (2021) · cites this paper as Black et al., 2015
In the citing paper
“However, the first 20% of that conversation can already indicate signs of grooming [39].”
From Online grooming detection: A comprehensive survey of child exploitation in chat logs (2023) · cites this paper as [39]
In the citing paper
“They discovered that assessing risk and potential for victimization can be detected by analyzing 40% of an online conversation.”
From Online grooming detection: A comprehensive survey of child exploitation in chat logs (2023) · cites this paper as [39]
In the citing paper
“However, the order and timing of the different grooming stages appear to be different (Black et al., 2015).”
From Offender strategies for engaging children in online sexual activity (2021) · cites this paper as Black et al., 2015
In the citing paper
“At the same time, SOG offers new possibilities particularly for speeding up the grooming process (as well as the risk assessment of the victim's environment which often starts in the first 20% of the conversations; Black et al., 2015).”
From 3.2 Sexual Online Grooming of Children – A Short Overview of the Offender Literature (2025) · cites this paper as Black et al., 2015
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Metadata
- Authors
- Black, P. J., Wollis, M., Woodworth, M., & Hancock, J. T.
- Affiliations
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- Cornell University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Woodworth, Michael
- Venue
- Child Abuse & Neglect
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2015-06
- Volume
- 44
- Pages
- 140-149
- ISSN
- 0145-2134 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2027190208
- Cited by
- 153
- References
- 55
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 24 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 1
- FWCI
- 12.40
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Child Abuse & Neglect (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
- Social Sciences › Law › Cybercrime and Law Enforcement Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Keywords
- online grooming, computer-mediated communication, flattery, child sexual abuse
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Child, Child Abuse, Sexual, Communication, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Linguistics, Male, Middle Aged, Sexual Behavior, Crime Victims, Internet, Friends
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