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This study investigated the effect of online sexual objectification experiences on academic achievement among university students, examining the mediating role of behavioral engagement and the moderating role of emotional intelligence. Grounded in objectification theory and social cognitive theory, a moderated mediation model was proposed. A total of 314 Chinese undergraduates (136 males, 178 females) aged 18 to 23 years (M = 20.45, SD = 1.22) completed the Online Sexual Objectification Experience Scale (OSOES), the Engagement versus Disaffection with Learning-Student Report (EvsD), the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS), and the Academic Achievement Scale (AA). Structural equation modeling and PROCESS analyses indicated that online sexual objectification experiences did not directly predict academic achievement; however, behavioral engagement fully mediated this relationship. Moreover, emotional intelligence significantly moderated the association between online sexual objectification experiences and behavioral engagement, such that the negative relationship was weaker among students with higher emotional intelligence. These findings clarify the behavioral mechanism linking digital objectification experiences to academic outcomes and highlight the protective role of emotional intelligence. The results provide theoretical and practical implications for promoting student engagement and psychological resilience in increasingly digitalized learning environments.
Gai et al. (Mon,) studied this question.