| dc.description.abstract | The evolution of technology and emergence of technology giants, like Activision Blizzard,
Tinder, Facebook, and Instagram, has created an entirely new world for social interaction. Many
of the pervasive problems that women historically faced with in-person situations, such as sexual
harassment, can now follow them everywhere. Indeed, technology-facilitated sexual harassment
(TFSH) is more prevalent in female than male populations (e.g., Cripps & Stermac, 2018;
Douglass et al., 2018; Henry & Powell, 2018; Snaychuk & O’Neill, 2020). The purpose of this
study was to create comprehensive scales specific to TFSH behaviours and examine
psychological symptoms, such as eating pathology, substance use, and sexual function that may
be associated with TFSH. This study also tested the mediating role of self-objectification, as
posited by objectification theory (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997), in the relationships between
TFSH and these psychological symptoms in a sample of women (N = 481). These women were
recruited through a course credit system at Lakehead University, as well as through online
advertisements. The SurveyMonkey platform was used for online data collection. Results
indicated that TFSH, specifically frequency of these incidents, was associated with eating
pathology, alcohol use, and sexual function. Furthermore, self-objectification was supported as a
potential mediator in the relationships between frequency of TFSH and eating pathology and
alcohol use, in addition to the relationships between distress from TFSH and these measures of
psychological function. This research may help shed light on the role of objectification processes
in the context of TFSH, as well as inform prevention strategies and mental health interventions
for victims of TFSH. | en_US |
