Secondary Trauma and Parenting Practices in Internet Crimes against Children Task Force Investigators

Investigating cases of child pornography requires daily exposure to sexually explicit material involving children and may have negative implications on the mental well-being of those in this line of work. This study aimed to identify whether secondary traumatic stress symptoms were associated with p...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Stewart, Jonathan (Author)
Contributors: Witte, Tricia H.
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2020
In: American journal of criminal justice
Year: 2020, Volume: 45, Issue: 6, Pages: 1080-1099
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
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Keywords:
Internet crimes against children
Child abuse investigators
Parenting
SECONDARY traumatic stress
Description
Summary:Investigating cases of child pornography requires daily exposure to sexually explicit material involving children and may have negative implications on the mental well-being of those in this line of work. This study aimed to identify whether secondary traumatic stress symptoms were associated with participants’ parenting behaviors and concerns about their own children’s use of the internet. Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force workers ( n = 212) completed online questionnaires measuring work exposure to sexually explicit material, secondary traumatic stress symptoms, and parenting behaviors. Professionals in this field reported a wide range of secondary trauma symptoms, and their parenting behaviors were both directly and indirectly (via secondary trauma) affected by prolonged exposure to sexually explicit material involving children. Internet monitoring behaviors were more prevalent for parents of younger children, and mothers’ parenting behaviors were more strongly associated with secondary trauma symptoms than were fathers. Results have implications for mental health and parenting services for professionals in this field.
ISSN:1936-1351
DOI:10.1007/s12103-020-09530-8