Project VERANDA: Requirement Analysis Survey
ConditionObservational Study
Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot listed
Trial typeObservational
Biological sexAll
Age18+
SponsorBerlin Institute of Health @ Charité
About this trial
Between 0.6% and 22.2% of the global adult male population has a sexual interest in children (SIIC), depending on evaluation methods \[1\]. SIIC constitutes a major risk factor for child sexual abuse (CSA) and viewing of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The true rates of CSA offences cannot be estimated, but self-report studies find 30 times higher rates of child-reported CSA compared to reports from child protection services or police.
Engagement in therapy is a protective factor against the risk of child sexual abuse and can lead to reductions in CSAM consumption and severity. Anticipated negative therapist behaviour is associated with less willingness to seek treatment. The fear of being reported by the therapist discourages participation in therapy, a concern complicated by mandatory reporting laws in some countries. Negative attitudes towards ISIC are high, and SIIC may be the most stigmatised trait globally.
Identifying barriers to treatment for ISIC, and of measures to overcome them, is important to increase therapy engagement, with the goal to improve wellbeing, reduce CSAM consumption, and reduce the risk of CSA offences. Patient anonymity during therapy may play an important role in increasing disclosure of stigmatised traits. It remains unclear whether anonymous therapy addresses patient treatment anxieties and therefore increases the comfort or willingness to engage in therapy. To address this research gap, we conduct an anonymous online survey with ISIC to answer the following questions:
RQ1. Can online therapy preferences be identified for minor-attacted individuals and for their therapists?
RQ2. Are there individual factors that predict stigmatized individuals' online therapy preferences? (E.g. Trust, Self-Stigma)
RQ3. Are there differences between the different stigmatized groups', therapists, and general populations' online therapy preferences?
Eligibility criteria
This trial accepts healthy volunteersQualifiers
Belonging to one of the target groups.
Otherwise, for general members of the public, none.
Disqualifiers
Younger than 18
Trial population
The investigators do not assign participants to conditions, instead the investigators have different target groups: Groups that experience stigmatization: Individuals with a sexual interest in children Transgender and gender-diverse people Sex workers Healthcare workers Individuals who have experienced child sexual abuse Groups that provide services to stigmatized groups: Therapists for individuals with a sexual interest in children Therapists of transgender and gender-diverse individuals Therapists of sex workers Control/comparison group: General public
Trial design
Design model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Treatments tested in this trial
Not listed
Trial groups
100 Participants
are grouped into 9 trial groups9
Trial groupsSee each trial group below.
Group A: Individuals with a sexual interest in children
Group B: Transgender and gender-diverse people
Group C: Sex workers
Group D: Healthcare workers
Group E: Individuals who have experienced child sexual abuse
Group F: Therapists for individuals with a sexual interest in children
Group G: Therapists of transgender and gender-diverse individuals
Group H: Therapists of sex workers
Group I: General public
Trial outcomes
Primary outcomes
1
Preferences of design features
RQ1.1 Can preferences of design features for an online therapy tool be identified for minor-attacted individuals and for their therapists? RQ3.4 Are there differences between the different groups in the preferred choice of consultation technology? Preferences of design features for an online therapy tool: 7-point Likert scale.
Time frame
May 2025 - May 2026Secondary outcomes
1
Preferred choice of consultation method
RQ1.2 Can the preferred choice of consultation method be identified? RQ2.3 Does self-stigma, treatment anxiety or trust influence the preferred choice of consultation method? RQ3.3 Are there differences between the different groups in the preferred choice of consultation method? In-person or anonymously online; Individual therapy or group therapy: 7-point bi-directional Likert scale. Responses will be dichotomized into two categories (e.g., "prefer 1-to-1" vs. "prefer group therapy") with neutral responses excluded from the analysis. This results in binary outcome variables.
Time frame
May 2025 - May 2026Other outcomes
1
Preferred choice of consultation technology
RQ2.4 Does self-stigma, treatment anxiety or trust influence the preferred choice of consultation technology? (text-only, audio-only, or video and audio; Smartphone or laptop; App or browser extension): 7-point bi-directional Likert scale (e.g., preference for laptop vs. smartphone). Responses will be dichotomized into two categories (e.g., "prefer laptop" vs. "prefer smartphone"), with neutral responses excluded from the analysis. This results in binary outcome variables.
Time frame
May 2025 - May 20262
Preference of having PETs for an online therapy tool
RQ2.2 Do preferences of having PETs for an online therapy tool vary based on self-stigma, treatment anxiety, or trust? RQ3.2 Do preferences of having PETs for an online therapy tool vary between different groups? Preferences for using various privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) in online therapy will be measured with multiple items on a 7-point Likert scale. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) will be conducted to examine the underlying structure. Based on the factor solution, items loading on a common factor will be combined to create a composite score.
Time frame
May 2025 - May 20263
Willingness to engage in therapy
RQ2.1.1 Does self-stigma, treatment anxiety, or trust influence willingness to engage in non-anonymous online therapy? RQ2.1.2 Does self-stigma, treatment anxiety, or trust influence willingness to engage in anonymous online therapy? RQ2.1.3 Does self-stigma, treatment anxiety, or trust influence willingness to engage in in-person therapy? RQ3.1.1 Are there differences between the different groups in willingness to engage in non-anonymous online therapy? RQ3.1.2 Are there differences between the different groups in willingness to engage in anonymous online therapy? RQ3.1.3 Are there differences between the different groups in willingness to engage in-person therapy? 3-Point scale that will be categorized into two binary categories, willingness to engage or unwillingness. Willingness to engage in specific therapy methods (anonymous online, non-anonymous online, in-person) is measured on a 3-point Likert Scale.
Time frame
May 2025 - May 20264
Communication cue importance for effective therapy
7-point Likert Scale Audio cues (E.g. Accent, slang) Visual cues (E.g. Manner of dress, body language) Written cues (E.g. Slang, Specific word choice)
Time frame
May 2025 - May 2026Sponsors and contacts
Click on the lead sponsor to view all of their trials.
Berlin Institute of Health @ Charité
Lead sponsor
Fraunhofer Institute for Applied and Integrated Security AISEC
Collaborator
Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz GmbH (DFKI)
Collaborator
Technische Universität Berlin
Collaborator
Charite University, Berlin, Germany
Collaborator
Source ClinicalTrials.gov