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Understanding the Needs of Young People Who Have Caused or May Cause Sexual Harm Toward Children

Award Number: R03HD121019
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/21/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2028

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Understanding the Needs of Young People Who Have Caused or May Cause Sexual Harm Toward Children - Research indicates that up to 77% of youth-reported instances of sexual victimization are committed by other youth, not adults, and older youth are responsible for nearly 30% of sexual harm cases involving children aged 0-9. Despite these findings, community-based young people who may be at risk of engaging in harmful or illegal sexual behaviors, particularly those not yet involved in clinical or justice systems, remain critically understudied, contributing to a lack of evidence-based prevention strategies that reach this population before harm occurs or escalates. The proposed resubmission will conduct a secondary analysis of transcripts from WhatsOK, the first confidential helpline and resource center for young people aged 14-21 with concerns about their own sexual thoughts or behaviors. PI Dr. Maggie Ingram will lead all qualitative analyses across two complementary methodological approaches. Aim 1 will apply codebook thematic analysis to at least 500 transcripts to characterize the nature and context of sexual behavior concerns among youth who voluntarily seek help through the helpline, with direct implications for prevention programming and counselor training. Aim 2 will apply reflexive thematic analysis, guided by Braun and Clarke's six-phase process and grounded in a constructivist epistemology, to a purposive sample of up to 50 transcripts to explore how youth describe their pathway toward help for sexual behavior concerns, exploring findings in the context of Rickwood and colleagues' process model of help-seeking. Findings from both aims will be reviewed with a youth advisory board of previous helpline contacts to gain insights from the lived experiences of the population under study to enhance interpretation. This study will generate unique insights into the concerns and help-seeking pathways of community-based youth at risk of engaging in harmful or illegal sexual behaviors, a population that existing clinical and justice-system research cannot reach. Findings will directly inform helpline service design, counselor training, and the development of evidence-based prevention programs targeting young people before harmful behavior occurs, escalates, or results in formal system involvement.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2027 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2027	2026	CENTER FOR VIOLENCE PREVENTION RESEARCH INC	2000 SW 11TH TER	GAINESVILLE	FL	32601	ALACHUA	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	1	10/19/2026	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $115,000 )
2026	2026	CENTER FOR VIOLENCE PREVENTION RESEARCH INC	2000 SW 11TH TER	GAINESVILLE	FL	32601	ALACHUA	USA	Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research	000	1	9/17/2026	NEW	$115,000
														Subtotal = $115,000

Grand Total All Awards = $115,000

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Understanding the Needs of Young People Who Have Caused or May Cause Sexual Harm Toward Children

Award Number: R03HD121019

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/21/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 08/31/2028

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