Power, Control, and the Misunderstanding of Grooming: What the Diddy Documentary Reveals About Sexual Abuse Dynamics

By Amber Schroeder, ATSA Executive Director 

While watching the Netflix documentary Sean Combs: The Reckoning with my partner over the weekend, we kept pausing the film. Each time another person described witnessing Diddy causing or directing others to cause harm while insisting that they themselves were exempt from similar harm, my partner would turn to me, incredulous. “What’s wrong with people?” he asked at one point, genuinely baffled.

It sparked a long conversation between us about why this reaction is so common: how individuals can watch others be mistreated, recognize the danger on some level, and still think, “that won’t happen to me.” As those of us in the field of sexual abuse prevention know, this response is not a personal failing —it is the predictable outcome of grooming, power, and environmental conditioning.

Most Sexual Abuse Is Not Paraphilia-Driven: What Research Actually Shows

Public narratives often conflate sexually abusive behavior with paraphilic disorders such as sexual sadism, voyeurism, exhibitionism, or pedophilia. While these disorders are relevant for a subset of individuals, research consistently shows that most sexual abuse is not motivated by atypical sexual interests. Decades of empirical findings identify more common drivers, including:

• entitlement and beliefs supporting the misuse of power
• antisocial traits and behavioral dysregulation
• cognitive distortions related to control and objectification
• opportunism enhanced by permissive or unaccountable environments

Meta-analytic research (Hanson & Morton-Bourgon, 2005; Kingston et al., 2008; Mann, Hanson & Thornton, 2010) confirms that paraphilic interests account for only part of sexual offending. In many cases, sexual behavior is instrumental—deployed to dominate or punish—rather than arising from a paraphilic preference. Distinguishing these pathways is essential for accurate risk assessment and treatment.

Grooming Creates the Illusion of Safety—Until the Moment It Doesn’t

One of the most striking themes in the documentary is the number of people who said, in one form or another: “I saw how he treated others, but I didn’t think it would happen to me.” This is precisely how grooming works.
Research describes grooming as a progressive, context-shaping process involving:

• selective attention, favors, and elevation of status
• gradual normalization of boundary violations
• intermittent reinforcement that creates psychological dependency
• manipulation of organizational or social environments

(Craven, Brown & Gilchrist, 2006).
In high-power contexts, grooming becomes environmental. Systems, not just individuals, are conditioned to reinterpret harm, rationalize behavior, or defer to authority. This systemic distortion is why people can observe clear warning signs in others yet perceive themselves as safe: the entire environment is engineered to obscure risk.

Why This Distinction Matters for Intervention, Treatment, and Prevention

Misunderstanding power-driven sexual abuse as paraphilia-driven leads to interventions that miss the mechanisms of harm. Research has long shown that sexual abuse is most often associated with entitlement, cognitive distortions, antisociality, emotional dysregulation, and environments that reward control. When viewed through this lens, the documentary becomes less a story of disbelief and more a demonstration of preventable dynamics that aligned exactly with what the research predicts.
To translate this evidence into practice, our field must confront the systemic beliefs that obscure risk and ensure prevention frameworks reflect the realities of how sexual harm develops. This includes:

• embedding research-based distinctions between paraphilic and non-paraphilic pathways into case formulation
• directly addressing entitlement, coercive control, and distorted beliefs within treatment
• designing organizational safeguards grounded in research on grooming and environmental risk factors
• expanding early-intervention strategies that identify coercive or boundary-violating behavior before it escalates

The documentary reinforces a central finding of the field: sexual abuse becomes predictable when systems rely on assumptions rather than evidence. As researchers, clinicians, and prevention professionals, our responsibility is to challenge those assumptions, elevate what the science tells us, and ensure interventions and prevention efforts disrupt these dynamics long before anyone is left saying, “I didn’t think it would happen to me.”

As My ATSA Presidency Ends: Reflecting on Two Years of Purpose

By Dr. Ainslie Heasman, President of the ATSA Board of Directors

As I enter my final month as President of ATSA, I’ve been reflecting deeply on the past two years - what we’ve accomplished together and the important work still ahead. Serving this organization has been one of the greatest professional honors of my career, and it is with pride, gratitude, and optimism that I share this update with you.

When my term began, we were welcoming a new Executive Director after a thoughtful and strategic assessment of our organization’s strengths, challenges, and opportunities. That transition marked the beginning of a period of meaningful evolution for ATSA. Over these two years, we have sharpened our focus, strengthened our foundations, and positioned ourselves to lead - confidently and visibly - in a global landscape that urgently needs evidence-informed voices.

ATSA has always existed to represent and support our members. Today, that mission is more vital than ever. Our field faces rapid shifts in local, national, and international policy. We are navigating an era where the role of science is being questioned and where prevention efforts are too often misunderstood or overshadowed. Yet we are also a community of nearly 3,000 people - students, researchers, clinicians, supervisors, policymakers, advocates, and law enforcement professionals - who carry an extraordinary amount of expertise and influence.

And I have long believed: ATSA must take up more space.
We do not simply participate in conversations about preventing sexual violence. We have the knowledge, the experience, and the responsibility to shape those conversations. Over the past two years, we have moved decisively toward that role.

At every decision point, the Board has asked itself a simple but powerful question:
“Does this align with our mission?”
That values-based approach has ensured that our actions reflect not only who we are, but who we aspire to be. It has made us more intentional, more strategic, and more unified as we position ATSA for the future.

I want to highlight just a few of the major developments that reflect this collective effort:

A Strategic Plan with Clarity and Purpose

We developed a streamlined strategic plan that sharpens ATSA’s priorities and provides a clearer path forward. This plan centers our mission, strengthens our organizational structure, and guides us toward meaningful impact.

Chapter Realignment - A Renewed Commitment to Local Leadership

Local representation is essential to ATSA’s reach and relevance. They are our eyes, ears, and leadership on the ground. We know we have not always supported Chapters as well as we should have. Over the past few months, we launched a full chapter realignment process - including surveys, listening sessions, and consultation with an external partner - to better understand what Chapters need to thrive.

In 2026, we will renew, rebuild, and reinvigorate our chapter system so that ATSA and its Chapters can work in true partnership, amplifying local and national voices and strengthening our collective influence.

A Strategic Research Agenda - A Bold New Direction

ATSA has always been home to exceptional researchers and to practice leaders who translate that research into real-world change. Now, for the first time, we are developing a formal Strategic Research Agenda.
Through this work, ATSA will:

• champion increased global research funding,
• identify gaps and emerging needs,
• foster stronger connections between science and practice, and
• build new partnerships that elevate the prevention of sexual violence worldwide.

The first meeting of this initiative will take place next month in Toronto - a milestone that reflects both our ambition and our commitment to shaping the future of the field.

On a personal note, I cannot close this message without reflecting on what ATSA has meant in my own journey. I still remember attending my first ATSA conference as a student in the early 2000s, watching from afar the people whose work shaped the field - and who would later become my colleagues and collaborators. From that very first conference, I knew this was a community I wanted to belong to. A community of people committed to safety, to science, to compassion, and to prevention.

ATSA influenced not just my professional development, but the direction of my career. It was through ATSA - through conversations at conferences, through colleagues who pushed the field forward - that I came to believe in the importance of reaching people before harm occurs. That belief ultimately led to my current work with Talking for Change in Canada, where we support individuals who are at risk of causing sexual harm. That work exists because ATSA created the space for innovation, for curiosity, and for courage.

And I know that today, there are students and early-career professionals attending ATSA events who will, years from now, write their own reflections on how this organization shaped their path. That is the legacy we carry - and the legacy we continue to build.

I am proud of where we are. I am even more excited about where we are going.

On January 1, 2026, I will pass the presidency baton to Professor Simon Hackett, whose leadership, expertise, and vision will continue to strengthen and grow our organization. I look forward to serving ATSA for one final year on the Board as Immediate Past President and supporting this ongoing work.

Preventing sexual violence takes a village. It takes collaboration across disciplines, sectors, and countries. It takes people who believe in science, in evidence, in accountability, and in the possibility of change.

For over two decades, I have been honoured to be part of the ATSA village. Thank you for your trust, your partnership, and your unwavering commitment to making our communities safer.

Our work is far from finished - but we are stronger, more prepared, and more united than ever.

And I cannot wait to see what we will achieve together.

 

Rethinking Justice for the Youngest: Why Development Matters in Ohio's Juvenile Law

Quick Note: ATSA has released a new Policy Brief: Protecting Ohio’s Youth: A Developmentally Informed Approach to Juvenile Justice Reform. Our members flagged this case two weeks ago, and we moved quickly to synthesize the evidence for advocates, providers, and the public. If this is useful, please share the brief with colleagues, local officials, and anyone shaping the conversation.

 * * *

By Aniss Benelmouffok, Director of Public Affairs, ATSA

"What does justice look like when the accused are in elementary school?" David Gambino and Lucas Daprile pose this question in their insightful coverage of the case involving a 9-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl accused of the attempted murder and rape of an autistic girl in Ohio. 

Our members highlighted this case as it's coverage resonated with the public and it focused attention to Ohio's juvenile justice system. Local media has captured the compelling and emotional call of a parent seeking justice and accountability for her daughter. The community response has been significant; a GoFundMe campaign is nearing its $180,000 dollar goal, and a change.org petition is over 80% toward its goal of 100,000 signatures. This attention offers a unique opportunity for policy change—one that protects Ohio's youth. 

Current Ohio law prohibits transferring youth to adult court until at least the age of 14. ATSA members were alarmed by calls to lower this age in the name of accountability. This is not a loophole. There’s a reason current Ohio law draws a bright line at transferring youth to adult court at age 14 and older: development matters to due process and to public safety. 

Treatment is public safety. 

The justice system faces the extraordinary challenge of ensuring safety and providing a meaningful response when harm occurs.  Children deserve responses that cater to their developmental stage, allowing them to understand, react, and change.

   

Accountability for children isn’t adult time. It’s concrete, comprehensible, and supervised. As our policy brief states: 

When young children exhibit violent or harmful behavior, the response should be one of evaluation, treatment, and family-based intervention, not adult-style prosecution or incarceration. Harmful behavior from children often signals their own exposure to/experience of trauma that should not be negated. Holding young people accountable should mean helping them understand the impact of their actions — not subjecting them to retribution.

Justice and accountability when children cause sexual harm requires understanding, intervention, and prevention. Ohio now stands at a crossroads: it can choose to respond with fear-based policies or to adopt  reforms grounded in science and evidence. Protecting Ohio’s youth means ensuring that our laws reflect what we know about how children grow, learn, change and why they cause harm. For children to comprehend our response to their actions, development must be the foundation for holding them accountable. 

Reflecting on the ATSA 2025 Conference

By Arliss Kurtz MSW, RSW, RYT 

“United we stand. Divided we fall.” Winston Churchill 

Defined by Oxford Languages, Unity is the state of being united or joined as a whole. Equanimity is the ability to maintain mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation. These are foundations of social work and yoga practice, and values that led me to travel from Winnipeg, Manitoba to Orlando, Florida to speak at the ATSA 2025 Conference, “Year of the Changemaker.” 

I reflected on unity and equanimity often over the last year leading up to the conference. From deciding to submit a proposal, to feeling conflicted on whether I would travel to Florida after it was accepted, to listening to the opinions of others who were making their own personal decisions of whether to attend. For many, storms of unrest swirled around politics, ethical dilemmas, global unrest, and safety concerns that swelled anger, fear, disgust. 

I also felt this way. I was angry that political chaos could interfere with my ability to gather and learn with my ATSA colleagues and friends. I feared the possibilities of interrogation when crossing the border and Florida hurricanes. Disgusting news cast images of violence and humanitarian crises deepened feelings of fear and anger. 

My anger turned to determination to not allow events outside my control to interfere with my professional development or separate me from my international network. Unity. I still felt fear crossing the Canadian–US border, my jelly-like limbs and pounding heart attested to that. To not spiral in anxiety, I practiced what I preach, in therapy and yoga. Face the fear. Breathe. Relax the body to ease the mind. Visualize a positive outcome. Be carefully truthful. Be mindful of the stressors of others. Smile. Show kindness. Equanimity. In the end, I crossed the border without issue, was treated very well in Florida, witnessed only polite and friendly interactions, and was grateful for occasional rainfall that relieved the hot, sunny days. 

At the venue, I discovered I had not been alone in my pre-conference angst. As attendees reunited or met for the first time, there were hugs, smiles, and laughter as there always are, yet also apologies for the state of current political affairs that led to our collective concerns. The conference delivered as expected with cutting edge learning opportunities, fantastic culinary experiences, and warm social gatherings. The hybrid format provided opportunity for people who chose not to travel to be able to attend from the safety of their home countries. They were missed and respected for their decisions not to travel. 

Now, more than ever, it is important that those of us who do the work of assessing, treating, and preventing sexual harm, remain united and equanimous. As we anticipate the ATSA 2026 conference in Detroit, Michigan, whether we attend in-person or virtually, may we remain calm, cool, and connected through this era of the political hurricane against which we all brace, face, and manage with grace. 

Inspired by the words of Mahatma Gandhi. “be the ‘changemaker’ you wish to see in the world.”

Call for Letters of Intent: Special Issue on What Works in the Prevention of Sexual Abuse?

By Joan Tabachnick

We are excited to share an important opportunity for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in the field of sexual abuse prevention. Sexual Abuse is now inviting submissions for a special issue on “What Works in the Prevention of Sexual Abuse?”

This issue, guest edited by Kieran McCartan, Ryan T. Shields, and Joan Tabachnick, will shine a spotlight on primary perpetration prevention—programs, policies, and practices designed to stop sexual abuse before anyone is harmed.

Join the Conversation

By bringing together evidence, practice, and innovation, this special issue aims to build a stronger foundation to answer the vital question: What truly works to prevent the perpetration of sexual abuse?

We invite researchers, practitioners, and thought leaders from around the world to contribute to this conversation by submitting a Letter of Intent by September 25, 2025.

👉 For submission details, deadlines, and guidelines visit: atsa.com/callforpapers

Why This Special Issue Matters

Preventing the perpetration of sexual abuse is one of the most critical yet challenging areas of work. Unlike treatment or response strategies, primary prevention often requires proving that “something didn’t happen”—an outcome that can be difficult to measure.

Yet across the globe, innovative programs, interventions, and policies are being developed to reduce risk, strengthen protective factors, and create safer communities. This special issue seeks to bring those successes, research, evaluations, and innovations together in one place to help shape the future of perpetration prevention efforts.

Topics of Interest

We welcome contributions that critically examine and expand our understanding of primary perpetration prevention, including but not limited to:

• Evidence of success in primary perpetration prevention programs, including meaningful outcome measures.
• Lessons learned from past prevention efforts—and how they can guide the future.
• Risk and protective factors for first-time perpetration of sexual abuse.
• The role of public messaging, policy, and science in prevention.
• Implementation challenges: overcoming politics, stigma, and sustainability issues.
• Global perspectives: cultural and regional insights that broaden the scope of prevention.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Aniss Benelmouffok, Managing Editor of Sexual Abuse: aniss@atsa.com

Together, we can deepen the science of prevention, learn from one another, and build safer futures for individuals, families, and communities worldwide.