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  1. INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

Dating apps are an extremely common way of meeting sex and dating partners in college, especially since they function to connect you with people near your location. In 2019, research showed that 48% of Americans under 30 have used dating apps and 35% of Americans under 30 using dating apps have attended college (Anderson et al., 2020). Dating apps can provide a relatively easy and new way of meeting strangers. As a relatively new and increasingly normative mode of forming social connection, dating apps also create a new way of experiencing sexual violence (Anderson et al., 2020). With added anonymity of users, lack of user background checks, and easily accessible online profiles, dating apps can be unwittingly dangerous platforms (Choi et al., 2018). While different research studies have assessed a range of prevalence of technology facilitated sexual violence, among young adults, the research is minimal and includes all forms of technology (e.g., email, social media, online gaming, chat rooms).

Sexual violence includes the sexual harassment, sexual solicitation, sexual assault, or rape of another person. Technology facilitated sexual violence (TFSV) includes many of the same behaviors as offline sexual violence as well as non-contact sexual harassment. The main difference between TFSV and offline sexual violence is that the victim was found or reached via an online platform (Henry & Powell, 2018). Additionally, there is limited research on the mental health consequences of sexual violence specific to dating apps. Sexual violence is known to cause severe mental health effects on victims, negatively impacting their wellbeing, social relationships, and stress levels; however, sexual violence on dating apps has been underexplored (Snaychuk & O’Neill, 2020). Increased awareness is especially necessary with the current increase of dating app popularity; since the COVID-19 pandemic began, there has been an increase in dating app use (Meisenzahl, 2020). With increased awareness of sexual violence via dating apps, mental health service providers can have better mental health screenings, programs, and outreach available to victims.

The purpose of the current research is to assess the mental health consequences of sexual violence, experienced specifically through dating apps, among undergraduate students at the University of Central Florida (UCF). The aim of this study is to evaluate the frequency of sexual violence that college students experience through dating apps as well as the associations between these experiences and mental health symptoms. More specifically, the study compares the mental health effects of dating app facilitated sexual violence with offline sexual violence of college students in terms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, loneliness, and perceived selfcontrol symptomology. Based on previous research findings on technology-facilitated sexual violence, it is expected that college students who have experienced sexual violence on dating apps will have higher levels of PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptoms (Cripps, 2019). Selfesteem, loneliness, and perceived self-control have not yet been studied, to my knowledge, in regard to dating app facilitated sexual violence. Regarding PTSD symptoms, I hypothesize college students experiencing sexual violence via dating apps will have similar levels of PTSD symptoms as those who experience sexual violence offline/outside of dating apps. Additionally, I hypothesize that students who experienced sexual violence both outside of dating apps and via dating apps will have more negative mental health symptoms than students who experienced sexual violence only outside of dating apps. While dating apps are becoming more popular in recent years, the dangers associated with sexual violence via dating apps warrant further attention. Based on a Pew Research study, 46% of American adults feel dating apps are not a safe platform for meeting others. The same survey found that 27% of men and 48% of women reported negative interactions on dating apps, with women ages 18-34 having the highest instances of harassment (Anderson et.al., 2020).

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