How the Internet Facilitates Adverse Childhood Experiences for Youth Who Self-Identify as in Need of Services

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Oguine, Ozioma C., Park, Jinkyung Katie, Akter, Mamtaj, Olesk, Johanna, Alluhidan, Abdulmalik, Wisniewski, Pamela, Badillo-Urquiola, Karla
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Oguine, Ozioma C.
Park, Jinkyung Katie
Akter, Mamtaj
Olesk, Johanna
Alluhidan, Abdulmalik
Wisniewski, Pamela
Badillo-Urquiola, Karla
author_facet Oguine, Ozioma C.
Park, Jinkyung Katie
Akter, Mamtaj
Olesk, Johanna
Alluhidan, Abdulmalik
Wisniewski, Pamela
Badillo-Urquiola, Karla
contents Youth implicated in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, as well as those with an incarcerated parent, are considered the most vulnerable Children in Need of Services (CHINS). We identified 1,160 of these at-risk youth (ages 13-17) who sought support via an online peer support platform to understand their adverse childhood experiences and explore how the internet played a role in providing an outlet for support, as well as potentially facilitating risks. We first analyzed posts from 1,160 youth who self-identified as CHINS while sharing about their adverse experiences. Then, we retrieved all 239,929 posts by these users to identify salient topics within their support-seeking posts: 1) Urges to self-harm due to social drama, 2) desire for social connection, 3) struggles with family, and 4) substance use and sexual risks. We found that the internet often helped facilitate these problems; for example, the desperation for social connection often led to meeting unsafe people online, causing additional trauma. Family members and other unsafe people used the internet to perpetrate cyberabuse, while CHINS themselves leveraged online channels to engage in illegal and risky behavior. Our study calls for tailored support systems that address the unique needs of CHINS to promote safe online spaces and foster resilience to break the cycle of adversity. Empowering CHINS requires amplifying their voices and acknowledging the challenges they face as a result of their adverse childhood experiences.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2410_16507
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle How the Internet Facilitates Adverse Childhood Experiences for Youth Who Self-Identify as in Need of Services
Oguine, Ozioma C.
Park, Jinkyung Katie
Akter, Mamtaj
Olesk, Johanna
Alluhidan, Abdulmalik
Wisniewski, Pamela
Badillo-Urquiola, Karla
Human-Computer Interaction
Computers and Society
Youth implicated in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, as well as those with an incarcerated parent, are considered the most vulnerable Children in Need of Services (CHINS). We identified 1,160 of these at-risk youth (ages 13-17) who sought support via an online peer support platform to understand their adverse childhood experiences and explore how the internet played a role in providing an outlet for support, as well as potentially facilitating risks. We first analyzed posts from 1,160 youth who self-identified as CHINS while sharing about their adverse experiences. Then, we retrieved all 239,929 posts by these users to identify salient topics within their support-seeking posts: 1) Urges to self-harm due to social drama, 2) desire for social connection, 3) struggles with family, and 4) substance use and sexual risks. We found that the internet often helped facilitate these problems; for example, the desperation for social connection often led to meeting unsafe people online, causing additional trauma. Family members and other unsafe people used the internet to perpetrate cyberabuse, while CHINS themselves leveraged online channels to engage in illegal and risky behavior. Our study calls for tailored support systems that address the unique needs of CHINS to promote safe online spaces and foster resilience to break the cycle of adversity. Empowering CHINS requires amplifying their voices and acknowledging the challenges they face as a result of their adverse childhood experiences.
title How the Internet Facilitates Adverse Childhood Experiences for Youth Who Self-Identify as in Need of Services
topic Human-Computer Interaction
Computers and Society
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.16507