Adult sexual grooming: A case study

Abstract

The last decade has seen significant strides in understanding the behaviours and tactics involved in the sexual grooming of children. Recently, in popular culture, the term sexual grooming has also been used to describe the behaviours 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 are 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 behaviours and tactics outlined in the SGM and adult sexual abuse perpetrated by a known individual. Areas for future research are discussed.