The online sexual abuse awareness scale: a validity and reliability study

Abstract To prevent adolescents from being exposed to online sexual abuse, it is essential to determine their awareness levels and carry out necessary prevention activities. The primary aim of this study was to develop a valid and reliable scale to measure adolescents’ awareness of online sexual abuse. The study was conducted with 688 adolescents aged 13–18 years. Expert opinion, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and assessments of criterion, convergent, and discriminant validity were used to establish the scale’s validity. The results of the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses showed that the Awareness of Online Sexual Abuse Scale consists of 18 items and three dimensions: self-efficacy, precaution, and knowledge about online sexual abuse. The results of the validity and reliability analyses indicate that the scale provides valid and reliable measurements for adolescents aged 13–18 years. When socio-demographic characteristics were examined, a small but statistically significant difference was observed in the knowledge subdimension according to adolescents’ reported relationship with their mothers. This finding highlights the potential role of maternal relationships in shaping adolescents’ awareness of online sexual abuse.