Cyber-Sexual Violence And Negative Emotional States Among Women In A Canadian University

Cyber-sexual violence refers to a form of harmful sexually aggressive behaviors committed with the facilitation of digital technologies. Such harmful behaviors can include non-consensual pornography and other image-based sexual exploitation, online sexual harassment, cyber-stalking, online gender-based hate speech, and the use of a carriage service to arrange/attempt to arrange a victim’s sexual assault. This article examines the cyber-sexual violence experiences reported by a sample of women on university campuses in Ontario, Canada. Specifically, this study documented the types and forms of cyber-sexual violence that female university students have experienced, whether they disclosed the incidents and their association with negative health emotional states. This study provided evidence indicating that experiences of cyber-sexual violence are associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and posttraumatic reactions, regardless of individuals’ disclosure experiences. In light of these findings it is crucial that service providers and legislative initiative begin to adapt to the changing technological nature of crimes against women.