Image-based sexual abuse victimization: Applying cyber routine activity theory

• In Event: Routine Activities Theory and the Internet

Abstract

As technological advances and innovative communication methods are integrated into everyday life, concerns over the misuse and abuse of such technologies has warranted further interrogation. The current study examines image-based sexual abuse (IBSA), which is understood as the creation, dissemination, and/or threatening to create or disseminate sexual media of someone without their consent. This study applies a cyber theory of victimization, routine activity theory (RAT), to assess the protective and risk factors of experiencing IBSA. This study assesses the ability of transforming a traditionally terrestrial criminological theory to explain online victimization. A convenience sample of female respondents (18-to-24 years old) is used to examine IBSA experiences and online behaviors to predict the likelihood of experiencing various types of IBSA.

Author

• Albina Laskovtsov, University of South Carolina