Grooming Victimization and Psychological Distress While Incarcerated: A Comparison of Sexual Minority and Heterosexual Youth

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Journal of Child Sexual Abuse

Abstract

This study examines the correlations between grooming behaviors within juvenile correctional facilities and their impact on psychological distress among incarcerated youth, including a comparison between sexual minority (N = 648) and heterosexual (N = 4,690) subsamples. Using the National Survey of Youth in Custody-3 (BJS, 2018), the analysis finds that various grooming behaviors – including receiving photos or letters from staff, staff sharing personal details, staff providing contraband, staff giving gifts, staff offering special protection, staff inappropriately discussing sex topics, and youth giving letters or photos to staff – are significantly correlated with varying levels of distress. Further, receiving a special gift from a staff member and being offered special protection from staff both had significantly greater effects on the correlation with distress for the heterosexual subsample; however, staff sharing emotional feelings and juveniles giving photos or letters to staff had significantly greater impacts on the correlation with distress for the sexual minority subsample.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2025.2521326

Publication Date

6-2025

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