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Sexual Grooming in the Menendez Brothers.

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Title: Sexual Grooming in the Menendez Brothers.
Authors: Brodar Kaplja, Sabina1 (AUTHOR) sabinabrodarkaplja@gmail.com
Source: Journal of Child Sexual Abuse. Nov2025, Vol. 34 Issue 8, p1006-1025. 20p.
Subject Terms: *Siblings, *Father-child relationship, *Family relations, *Domestic violence, Child sexual abuse & psychology, Sex offenders, Incest, Psychology of fathers, Psychology of adult child abuse victims, Manipulative behavior, Psychosocial factors
Geographic Terms: United States
Abstract: Child sexual abuse is common within the family context but often underreported, especially in same-sex incestuous cases. The delay in disclosure is in part due to the sexual grooming strategies, which have been explored in many studies. However, sexual grooming is difficult to identify in the context of intra-familial sexual abuse, and its effects on victims need to be thoroughly researched. This study utilized the content-validated Sexual Grooming Model as a framework to identify sexual grooming behaviors in the case of the Menendez brothers, whom their father sexually abused. Data was obtained from their testimonies at the first trial in 1993, which is publicly available. Results showed evidence of sexual grooming, with most endorsed strategies to desensitize the victims and maintain the abuse. An important finding was that the mother, who was also the victim of her husband, facilitated sexual abuse by maintaining secrecy and enabling access to her children. The study highlights the diversity of sexual abuse victims and the need for society and professionals to be aware of the grooming processes, which are harder to identify within the family. Further research areas and implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Child Sexual Abuse is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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  Data: Sexual Grooming in the Menendez Brothers.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Brodar+Kaplja%2C+Sabina%22">Brodar Kaplja, Sabina</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> sabinabrodarkaplja@gmail.com</i>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Child+Sexual+Abuse%22">Journal of Child Sexual Abuse</searchLink>. Nov2025, Vol. 34 Issue 8, p1006-1025. 20p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Siblings%22">Siblings</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Father-child+relationship%22">Father-child relationship</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Family+relations%22">Family relations</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Domestic+violence%22">Domestic violence</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Child+sexual+abuse+%26+psychology%22">Child sexual abuse & psychology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sex+offenders%22">Sex offenders</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Incest%22">Incest</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychology+of+fathers%22">Psychology of fathers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychology+of+adult+child+abuse+victims%22">Psychology of adult child abuse victims</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Manipulative+behavior%22">Manipulative behavior</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Psychosocial+factors%22">Psychosocial factors</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22United+States%22">United States</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Child sexual abuse is common within the family context but often underreported, especially in same-sex incestuous cases. The delay in disclosure is in part due to the sexual grooming strategies, which have been explored in many studies. However, sexual grooming is difficult to identify in the context of intra-familial sexual abuse, and its effects on victims need to be thoroughly researched. This study utilized the content-validated Sexual Grooming Model as a framework to identify sexual grooming behaviors in the case of the Menendez brothers, whom their father sexually abused. Data was obtained from their testimonies at the first trial in 1993, which is publicly available. Results showed evidence of sexual grooming, with most endorsed strategies to desensitize the victims and maintain the abuse. An important finding was that the mother, who was also the victim of her husband, facilitated sexual abuse by maintaining secrecy and enabling access to her children. The study highlights the diversity of sexual abuse victims and the need for society and professionals to be aware of the grooming processes, which are harder to identify within the family. Further research areas and implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Child Sexual Abuse is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=191012208
RecordInfo BibRecord:
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    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/10538712.2025.2593243
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 20
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      – SubjectFull: Siblings
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Father-child relationship
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Family relations
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Domestic violence
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Child sexual abuse & psychology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Sex offenders
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Incest
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychology of fathers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychology of adult child abuse victims
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Manipulative behavior
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Psychosocial factors
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: United States
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    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Sexual Grooming in the Menendez Brothers.
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          Name:
            NameFull: Brodar Kaplja, Sabina
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            – D: 01
              M: 11
              Text: Nov2025
              Type: published
              Y: 2025
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