Technology-facilitated sexual violence: exploring vulnerability factors, distress, and coping strategies in women

Abstract

Technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV) — sexual abuse perpetrated through technological means — consists of several forms of unwanted sexual behaviours, including sexual harassment, cyberstalking, image-based exploitation, unwanted sexual experiences, and gender and sexuality-based harassment. Although research on this form of gender-based violence has expanded in recent years, little is known about the women who experience it. This dissertation aimed to examine multiple dimensions of victimization to better understand TFSV. Study One used survey data to identify demographic and technological differences that may constitute vulnerabilities in women victims (N = 268). Young age, sexual minority status, popularity online, and certain patterns in technology use were identified as potential vulnerabilities for women. Study Two investigated the temporal relationships between TFSV and distress in women (N = 55) using a smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment paradigm. The results revealed multidirectional trends between these variables, including that TFSV may influence victims’ negative and positive affect, distress may change over time due to TFSV experiences, and distress may also serve as a vulnerability factor for TFSV. Study Three explored how women cope with TFSV in its aftermath. Through in-depth interviews, women (N = 9) described using cognitive/emotional and behavioural risk avoidance strategies to protect themselves, including staying on guard, altering their appearance, disappearing into the shadows, assessing strangers, and protecting other women. Overall, this project illuminated the experiences of women victims of TFSV, with the goal of informing prevention and intervention strategies that center their experiences alongside the broader literature.