Loneliness and online child sexual victimization: The mediating role of problematic pornography use in Spanish and Mexican adolescents.

Background

Loneliness has been repeatedly linked to adolescents' exposure to online risks. However, the psychological mechanisms linking loneliness to online child sexual victimization remain insufficiently understood.

Objective

The main aim was to examine the association between loneliness and online sexual victimization in adolescents, testing a mediating role for problematic pornography use (PPU) and a moderating effect of biological sex.

Participants

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Setting

The sample included 1848 adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years (M = 15.88, SD = 1.16) from schools in Spain and Mexico, of whom 60.2% were female.

Methods

Participants reported basic sociodemographic information and self-report measures assessing loneliness, online sexual victimization, and PPU. Mediation and moderated mediation models were tested using bootstrapped confidence intervals.

Results

Loneliness was positively associated with online sexual victimization, both directly and indirectly through PPU. The indirect effect was statistically significant but modest. Sex moderated these pathways: among males, the association between loneliness and online sexual victimization was largely explained by PPU, whereas among females, loneliness showed a stronger direct association and a comparatively weaker mediated effect.

Conclusions

Loneliness, PPU, and online sexual victimization are interrelated during adolescence and may operate through partially distinct mechanisms among males and females, suggesting the relevance of addressing sex differences, emotional vulnerability, and maladaptive coping in prevention and intervention efforts.