Citation

Henson B, Reyns BW, Fisher BS. Vict. Offender 2022; 17(6): 795-812.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/15564886.2022.2053256

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The shadow of sexual assault hypothesis has received considerable support in explaining women's fear of crime. However, this hypothesis has yet to be tested in relation to online victimization. Utilizing a sample of undergraduates, this study tests the shadow hypothesis in the context of the Internet by examining the impact of fear of unwanted online sexual advances on individuals' fear of online victimization, generally.

FINDINGS indicate that men's and women's levels of fear of online victimization differ, with women being significantly more fearful of several types of online victimization. Multiple regression findings also show that the effects of fear of unwanted online sexual advances may account for the relationship between sex and fear of online victimization.

Language: en

Keywords

college students; fear of crime; online victimization; Sexual assault; shadow of sexual assault hypothesis