@article{ref1,
title="Exploring detection of contact vs. fantasy online sexual offenders in chats with minors: statistical discourse analysis of self-disclosure and emotion words",
journal="Child abuse and neglect",
year="2018",
author="Chiu, Ming Ming and Seigfried-Spellar, Kathryn C. and Ringenberg, Tatiana R.",
volume="81",
number="",
pages="128-138",
abstract="This exploratory study is the first to identify content differences between youths' online chats with contact child sex offenders (CCSOs; seek to meet with youths) and those with fantasy child sex offenders (FCSOs; do not meet with youths) using statistical discourse analysis (SDA). Past studies suggest that CCSOs share their experiences and emotions with targeted youths (self-disclosure grooming tactic) and encourage them to reciprocate, to build trust and closer relationships through a cycle of self-disclosures. In this study, we examined 36,029 words in 4,353 messages within 107 anonymized online chat sessions by 21 people, specifically 12 youths and 9 arrested sex offenders (5 CCSOs and 4 FCSOs), using SDA. <br><br>RESULTS showed that CCSOs were more likely than FCSOs to write online messages with specific words (first person pronouns, negative emotions and positive emotions), suggesting the use of self-disclosure grooming tactics. CCSO's self-disclosure messages elicited corresponding self-disclosure messages from their targeted youths. These results suggest that CCSOs use grooming tactics that help engender youths' trust to meet in the physical world, but FCSOs do not.<br><br>Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0145-2134",
doi="10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.04.004",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.04.004"
}