09/01/2026
Happy to finally share that our article is published in Frontiers-Psychology. Linda Jonsson and I explored how Online Child Sexual Abuse (OCSA) affects not only children and adolescents, but also caregivers and the systems meant to support them. We interviewed 43 Swedish professionals and found three themes through the interviews:
• Children often describe feeling complicit, affecting disclosure, support and treatment interventions
• Caregivers struggle with a sense of inadequacy
• Professionals point to system errors, often linked to missing guidelines and weak interagency structures
A clear message was that children exposed to OCSA, and their caregivers, should be met with the same protocols and protections as victims of other crimes, including routinely addressing OCSA in assessments within Social Services and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
It feels great that this work is out there and we hope it contributes to ongoing conversations about trauma-informed, tailored responses and stronger interagency collaboration.
Thanks again to the professionals sharing their experience and to the World Childhood Foundation and Brottsofferfonden for making the study possible.
IntroductionEven though Online Child Sexual Abuse (OCSA) has become a recognized phenomenon, there are still extensive gaps in knowledge and understanding of...