Article
A Content Analysis of Posts to an Online Support Forum for “Girl Lovers”
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse
(2022)
Abstract
The internet is an effective tool for studying the cognitive distortions among those with a sexual attraction to children. Identified through previous works, users of an online “boy love” forum were found to present a variety of justifications for adult-child sexual relations. The current study extends this line of inquiry, analyzing posts from an online “girl love” forum. We found that the most common justification to appear reflected a belief that societal attitudes and authority figures were to blame for the harms caused by adult-child sex. We also found that the forum provided users with support and reinforcement for such distorted beliefs. Overall, online forums provide a window into the cognitive life of individuals with a sexual attraction to children, and one that reflects beliefs that may be largely unexpressed in the confines of forensic treatment settings.
Disciplines
Publication Date
August 12, 2022
DOI
10.1080/10538712.2022.2112348
Citation Information
Nicole Cantor, DJ Angelone, Ebru Yucel and Damon Mitchell. "A Content Analysis of Posts to an Online Support Forum for “Girl Lovers”" Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Vol. 31 Iss. 5 (2022) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/david-angelone/24/