Investigating the Psychological Impact of Cyber-Sexual Harassment

Overview

Journal J Interpers Violence

Publisher Sage Publications

Date 2024 Feb 15

PMID 38357898

Authors

Marvin Iroegbu

Freya OBrien

Luna Clara Munoz

Georgia Parsons

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The impact of cyber sexual harassment (CSH) on adult women and the factors influencing this impact are largely under-researched. Communication technologies provide novel means for people to threaten, communicate, and harass others. Victims of in-person sexual harassment (ISH) can experience negative symptoms of depression, anxiety, trauma, and negative body image. The current study explored the psychological impact of CSH in adult women to determine whether CSH predicts psychological difficulties. Adult female participants ( = 136) took part in an online, cross-sectional study; 44% of participants had experienced CSH and this was associated with higher levels of depression, anxiety, trauma, and body image dissatisfaction. Younger victims, those who had been in a relationship for a shorter amount of time, those who had previously experienced of ISH, and those who had a higher number of social media followers were more likely to have experienced CSH. When controlling for demographic variables, CSH predicted anxiety, depression, trauma, and body image dissatisfaction; however, experience of ISH impacted upon body-image dissatisfaction over and above CSH. There is a need to routinely ask individuals accessing mental health services whether online interactions cause harm. Future research should examine these phenomena in more ethnically diverse samples.

References

Cross D, Lester L, Barnes A . A longitudinal study of the social and emotional predictors and consequences of cyber and traditional bullying victimisation. Int J Public Health. 2015; 60(2):207-17. DOI: 10.1007/s00038-015-0655-1. View

Reed E, Wong A, Raj A . Cyber Sexual Harassment: A Summary of Current Measures and Implications for Future Research. Violence Against Women. 2019; 26(12-13):1727-1740. DOI: 10.1177/1077801219880959. View

Reddy M, Murdoch M . Does the Factor Structure of Military Sexual Stressors in Men Correspond to Women's? A Confirmatory Factor Analysis Using the Sexual Harassment Inventory. Mil Med. 2016; 181(2):161-6. PMC: 6519719. DOI: 10.7205/MILMED-D-14-00709. View

Stahl S, Dennhag I . Online and offline sexual harassment associations of anxiety and depression in an adolescent sample. Nord J Psychiatry. 2020; 75(5):330-335. DOI: 10.1080/08039488.2020.1856924. View

Beck A, Epstein N, Brown G, Steer R . An inventory for measuring clinical anxiety: psychometric properties. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1988; 56(6):893-7. DOI: 10.1037//0022-006x.56.6.893. View

Zigmond A, SNAITH R . The hospital anxiety and depression scale. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1983; 67(6):361-70. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1983.tb09716.x. View

Dressing H, Bailer J, Anders A, Wagner H, Gallas C . Cyberstalking in a large sample of social network users: prevalence, characteristics, and impact upon victims. Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2013; 17(2):61-7. DOI: 10.1089/cyber.2012.0231. View

Lewis-Smith H, Diedrichs P, Halliwell E . Cognitive-behavioral roots of body image therapy and prevention. Body Image. 2019; 31:309-320. DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2019.08.009. View

Dir A, Coskunpinar A, Steiner J, Cyders M . Understanding differences in sexting behaviors across gender, relationship status, and sexual identity, and the role of expectancies in sexting. Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2013; 16(8):568-74. DOI: 10.1089/cyber.2012.0545. View

10.

Marsh J, Patel S, Gelaye B, Goshu M, Worku A, Williams M . Prevalence of workplace abuse and sexual harassment among female faculty and staff. J Occup Health. 2009; 51(4):314-22. DOI: 10.1539/joh.l8143. View

11.

Duncan N, Zimmer-Gembeck M, Furman W . Sexual harassment and appearance-based peer victimization: Unique associations with emotional adjustment by gender and age. J Adolesc. 2019; 75:12-21. DOI: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2019.06.016. View

12.

Greenwood B, Thompson R, Opp M, Fleshner M . Repeated exposure to conditioned fear stress increases anxiety and delays sleep recovery following exposure to an acute traumatic stressor. Front Psychiatry. 2014; 5:146. PMC: 4202708. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2014.00146. View

13.

Oliver C, Cummings S, Puiras E, Mazmanian D . Technology-Facilitated Sexual Harassment Against Women and Psychological Dysfunction: A Test of Objectification Theory. Violence Against Women. 2023; 30(12-13):3399-3420. PMC: 11380371. DOI: 10.1177/10778012231177998. View

14.

Hayes S, Linardon J, Kim C, Mitchison D . Understanding the relationship between sexual harassment and eating disorder psychopathology: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Eat Disord. 2021; 54(5):673-689. DOI: 10.1002/eat.23499. View

15.

Ybarra M, Mitchell K . Youth engaging in online harassment: associations with caregiver-child relationships, Internet use, and personal characteristics. J Adolesc. 2004; 27(3):319-36. DOI: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2004.03.007. View

16.

Deady M, Choi I, Calvo R, Glozier N, Christensen H, Harvey S . eHealth interventions for the prevention of depression and anxiety in the general population: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry. 2017; 17(1):310. PMC: 5576307. DOI: 10.1186/s12888-017-1473-1. View

17.

Bendixen M, Daveronis J, Kennair L . The effects of non-physical peer sexual harassment on high school students' psychological well-being in Norway: consistent and stable findings across studies. Int J Public Health. 2017; 63(1):3-11. DOI: 10.1007/s00038-017-1049-3. View

18.

Norcott C, Keenan K, Wroblewski K, Hipwell A, Stepp S . The Impact of Adolescent Sexual Harassment Experiences in Predicting Sexual Risk-Taking in Young Women. J Interpers Violence. 2019; 36(15-16):NP8961-NP8973. DOI: 10.1177/0886260519845733. View

19.

Miller E, Tancredi D, McCauley H, Decker M, Virata M, Anderson H . "Coaching boys into men": a cluster-randomized controlled trial of a dating violence prevention program. J Adolesc Health. 2012; 51(5):431-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2012.01.018. View

20.

Franzoi S, Shields S . The Body Esteem Scale: multidimensional structure and sex differences in a college population. J Pers Assess. 1984; 48(2):173-8. DOI: 10.1207/s15327752jpa4802_12. View