This study compared the group characteristics and reoffending outcomes of 254 females processed by police for online or offline child sexual offending ( n = 116 known for online offenses, 45.7%). A binary logistic regression revealed that females known for online child sexual abuse (CSA) were more likely to be aged under 18 years at the time of their index offense ( p < .001), more likely to have co-perpetrated a child sexual offense ( p < .001), and less likely to have a history of sexual victimization ( p < .05) than females known for offline CSA. However, a two-step Cox regression survival analysis identified no group differences for risk of further police contact for any, violent, and non-violent offenses after controlling for relevant risk factors. These findings indicate that females who perpetrate online versus offline CSA may require specific management targets despite their similar likelihood of coming to future police attention.
Fortunato et al. (Tue,) studied this question.