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ABSTRACT
The last decade has seen significant strides in understanding the behaviors and tactics involved in the sexual grooming of children. Recently, in popular culture, the term sexual grooming has also been used to describe the behaviors involved in the sexual abuse of adults. The strategies and tactics that known individuals (e.g., acquaintances, current or past intimate partners) use to perpetrate sexual abuse against adults is not well understood. Some research has investigated constructs related to unwanted sexual experiences in adulthood which have elements that overlap with child sexual grooming, such as sexual harassment, sexual coercion, and coercive control. However, to date, no research has empirically explored sexual grooming in adults. This case study examines adult sexual grooming through the lens of the content-validated Sexual Grooming Model (SGM) of child sexual abuse, suggesting considerable overlap between the behaviors and tactics outlined in the SGM and adult sexual abuse perpetrated by a known individual. Areas for future research are discussed.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 All names and identifying information contained in this case study have been changed to protect the anonymity of the participant, and henceforth the participant will be referred to as Sara.