Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence Among Chinese University Students: Victimization, Perpetration, and Association with Mental Health

Abstract

Technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV) refers to a range of unwanted sexually related behaviors communicated and transmitted through digital technologies, including digital sexual harassment, image-based sexual abuse, sexual aggression and/or coercion, and gender and/or sexuality-based harassment. This study, based on a sample of 1246 undergraduate students (688 women, 558 men) aged 17-25 years in China, investigated the incidence of TFSV victimization and perpetration and their associations with mental health (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress) and alcohol use. Participants completed the TFSV 21-item scale, Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, and Alcohol Use Scale. Results showed that the overall victimization incidence was 69.2% (69.6% for women and 68.6% for men) and the overall perpetration incidence was 31.7% (26.6% for women and 38.0% for men). The perpetration incidence was significantly higher for men than for women; for victimization, a sex difference was not observed. Furthermore, participants who self-reported as TFSV victims tended to have higher levels of depression, stress, anxiety, and more alcohol use compared to non-victims. Victims who were also perpetrators exhibited the highest levels of mental health issues and alcohol use compared to victim only, perpetrator only, and neither (non-victim and non-perpetration). These results contributed new data on the prevalence of TFSV victimization and perpetration as well as their relationship with mental health conditions. Moreover, the high prevalence of TFSV and its association with negative mental health condition indicate the need for interventions aimed at reducing both perpetration and victimization rates in China.

Keywords: Image-based abuse; Mental health; Sexual harassment; Technology-facilitated sexual violence.