What is Grooming?

Last Updated on September 24th, 2026 at 05:35 pm
Originally Published on September 20th, 2022 at 08:00 am

Overview

A summary of a study to create a universal definition for the term grooming, developed by using the Sexual Grooming Model.

Summary

Grooming is a term that is seen often in psychosexual evaluations and sentencing documents for contact sexual offenses. 

It is also something that is seen in sexually violent predator assessments. 

However, even though evaluators, attorneys and law enforcement are familiar with the term, it is not always used in the same fashion. Therefore, a universal definition would be helpful. 

The most universally accepted model is aptly titled the Sexual Grooming Model. 

The Sexual Grooming Model

This model states that behaviors leading to abuse can be broken down into 5 stages. These are:

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Reference

SOURCE RESEARCH

Toward a Universal Definition of Child Sexual Grooming

Winter, G.M., Kaylor, L.E., & Jeglic, E.L. (2022). Toward a Universal Definition of Child Sexual Grooming. Deviant Behavior, 43(8), 926-938.

Published: 2022

DOI: 10.1080/01639625.2021.1941427

View original source →

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