Online sexual exploitation of adolescents in Tanzania: Explaining help-seeking intention using the theory of planned behaviour

Background: The online sexual exploitation (OSE) of children and adolescents is an emerging global concern, particularly following the increase in Internet and social media utilisation among schoolchildren during the COVID-19 pandemic. Numerous empirical studies have investigated the factors affecting children's and adolescents’ seeking help for this problem in Tanzania. However, whether their explanations can be applied to understand similar cases in the cyberspace remain uncertain. Objectives: Driven by the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), we conducted this study in Tanzania in 2022 to understand adolescents’ help-seeking intention for OSE. Two primary research objectives included (a) examining four TPB variables (i.e., attitude towards seeking help, perceived social support, generalised self-efficacy, and perceived social stigmas) as determinants of adolescents’ help-seeking intention for OSE and (b) assessing the moderating effects of two types of social stigma on the relationship between the TPB factors and adolescents’ help-seeking intention for OSE. Methods: Using a cross-sectional survey design, we collected data from a stratified random sample of 1,014 secondary school adolescents recruited from two regions (i.e., Dar es Salaam and Ruvuma) in Tanzania. The data were analysed using hierarchical multiple regression. Conclusions: The results indicate that adolescents’ attitude towards seeking help, perceived social support, and generalised self-efficacy were significantly associated with adolescents’ help-seeking intention for OSE in general. Through moderation analyses, we found that social stigma for sexual exploitation moderated the effect of generalised self-efficacy on explaining adolescents’ intention to seek help from family members while social stigma for receiving help moderated generalised self-efficacy on explaining their intention to seek help from friends.