Evaluating WhatsOK Helpline for Youth With Concerns About Sexual Thoughts and Behaviors

NCT07525778 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 3 other identifiers: CE-25-0261 U01CE003741-01-001U01CE003741-01
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 920
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

Research suggests up to 77% of harmful sexual experiences during childhood are caused by other youth. Sometimes called peer-peer abuse or youth-perpetrated child sexual abuse, problematic and harmful sexual behavior among youth (PHSBY) involves sexual behaviors that are not developmentally appropriate and have potential to cause harm to the child or children involved. Compared to adults, children and adolescents who engage in sexual exploration are at greater risk of making mistakes or causing harm, in large part because they have insufficient information about healthy sexual behavior and development, consent, and related concepts. However, the available support, information, and resources for youth who have engaged in or are at risk of engaging in PSHB are limited. To address these unmet needs, Stop it Now! (stopitnow.org) created the first youth-focused website and helpline services (WhatsOK) for young people with concerns about their sexual thoughts, interests, and behaviors. WhatsOK.org is a microsite developed specifically for youth aged 14-21 years. If a child or young person has concerns about their sexual thoughts or behaviors, the WhatsOK Online Help Center and Helpline can provide support and resources to support healthy behavior and prevent problematic or harmful behavior. If someone has already engaged in PHSBY or if they are unsure about whether what has been done is illegal, they can still reach out for confidential help to learn about taking steps to stop. Preliminary findings from a longitudinal, observational study of the WhatsOK helpline suggest that youth are willing to seek out help for their (and others') sexual interests and behaviors, highlighting the critical need for prevention strategies targeting youth with potentially concerning sexual behaviors. We examined the characteristics of contacts to the WhatsOK helpline via data collected from pre-set questions on age, primary reason for contact, timing of inquiry relative to other help-seeking, and timing relative to harm caused. Most inquiries came from youth aged 14 to 21 (57.7%) via email (54.4%). Over half (54.6%) had already engaged in harmful or illegal behaviors or were potentially at risk to do so. The majority of contacts sought help prior to seeking out other external professional resources (54%). The current study is a randomized control trial evaluating the impact of the WhatsOK helpline in reducing PHSBY and improving help-seeking attitudes and behavior in a sample of participants ages 14-17 with concerns about their sexual thoughts and behaviors.

Conditions

Mental Health; Social Support; Perceived Self-efficacy; Sexual Behavior

Keywords

youth sexual behavior; adolescents; support services; helpline

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Help-seeking behaviors

  Investigators will measure whether participants have sought support (beyond their assigned treatment condition) for concerns about their sexual thoughts and behaviors. Help-seeking behaviors will be measured using two items. 1.) \[In the past time\], have you tried to find information related to concerns about your sexual thoughts, feelings, or behaviors? and 2.) \[In the past time\], have you reached out for support about concerns related to your sexual thoughts, feelings, or behaviors? Response options are binary "yes/no". Participants can also select "prefer not to answer".

  Participants' behaviors will be measured at baseline, t2 (baseline + 3 days), T3 (baseline + 14 days), T4 (baseline + 45 days), and T5 (baseline + 90 days)

• Sexual behaviors

  Investigators will measure a variety of sexual behaviors, such as engaging in sexual contact with someone who does not consent (e.g, Have you ever made someone do sexual things when they didn't want to?); engaging in sexual contact with a young child; viewing or sharing sexual images of/with someone who does not consent; viewing, sharing, or creating sexual images of someone under the age of 18. Researcher created measure.

  Participants' behaviors will be measured at baseline, t2 (baseline + 3 days), T3 (baseline + 14 days), T4 (baseline + 45 days), and T5 (baseline + 90 days)

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Safety Planning

  Participants' mental health will be measured at baseline, t2 (baseline + 3 days), T3 (baseline + 14 days), T4 (baseline + 45 days), and T5 (baseline + 90 days)

• Well-being

  Participants' mental health will be measured at baseline, t2 (baseline + 3 days), T3 (baseline + 14 days), T4 (baseline + 45 days), and T5 (baseline + 90 days)

• Internal shame

  Participants' behaviors will be measured at baseline, t2 (baseline + 3 days), T3 (baseline + 14 days), T4 (baseline + 45 days), and T5 (baseline + 90 days)

• Perceived resources

  Participants' behaviors will be measured at baseline, t2 (baseline + 3 days), T3 (baseline + 14 days), T4 (baseline + 45 days), and T5 (baseline + 90 days)

• Perceived self-efficacy

  Participants' perceived self-efficacy will be measured at baseline, t2 (baseline + 3 days), T3 (baseline + 14 days), T4 (baseline + 45 days), and T5 (baseline + 90 days)

Study Arms (2)

Helpline condition

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will be directed to the WhatsOK helpline

Behavioral: Contact helpline

Control condition

NO INTERVENTION

Participants will complete all follow-up surveys but not be directed to the helpline

Interventions

Contact helpline BEHAVIORAL

Participants will be directed to contact the WhatsOK helpline, where they can confidentially discuss their concerns about sexual thoughts or behaviors with a trained counselor

Helpline condition

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 14 Years - 17 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• must be ages 14-17 years at baseline
• must have concerns about their sexual thoughts or behaviors
• must be able to read, write, and speak in English

You may not qualify if:

• Under 14 or over 17 years of age
• Does not have concerns about their sexual thoughts or behaviors
• Previously contacted a helpline or hotline for concerns about their sexual thoughts or behaviors
• Is not able to read, write, or speak in English
• Does not consent to participate

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of California, Berkeley: collaborator
• Center for Violence Prevention Research Inc: lead

Related Publications (4)

• National Center for Sexual Behavior of Youth (NCSBY). (n.d.). Overview and definitions. https://www.ncsby.org/professionals

  BACKGROUND

• Bright MA, Bodi C, Gordon B, Ortega D, Coleman J. Early Findings of Helpline Inquiries From Youth and Young Adults With Concerns About Their Sexual Thoughts, Behaviors, and Experiences. J Interpers Violence. 2025 Nov;40(21-22):4971-4981. doi: 10.1177/08862605241299446. Epub 2024 Nov 21.

  PMID: 39569498 RESULT

• Letourneau, E. J., Assini-Meytin, L.C., Kaufman, K. L., Mathews, B., & Palmer, D. (2020). Preventing and addressing child sexual abuse in youth serving organizations: A desk guide for organizational leaders. Baltimore, MD: Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

  RESULT

• Gewirtz-Meydan A, Finkelhor D. Sexual Abuse and Assault in a Large National Sample of Children and Adolescents. Child Maltreat. 2020 May;25(2):203-214. doi: 10.1177/1077559519873975. Epub 2019 Sep 16.

  PMID: 31526040 RESULT

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Psychological Well-Being; Sexual Behavior

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Personal Satisfaction; Behavior

Central Study Contacts

Melissa Bright, PhD

CONTACT

904-728-1020; mbright@scienceofviolence.org

Maggie Ingram, PhD

CONTACT

8175842449; mingram@scienceofviolence.org

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 19, 2026
• First Posted: April 13, 2026
• Study Start: April 6, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 29, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 29, 2029
• Last Updated: April 13, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04