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  1. CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION

CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION

The purpose of this research study was to assess the frequency of dating app facilitated sexual violence among college students at the University of Central Florida. Additionally, the study aimed to investigate the mental health patterns as a consequence of experiencing sexual violence on dating apps. The results of this research study found that a majority of college students are currently using or have used dating apps. Of the dating app users, an overwhelming majority (88.8%) have experienced at least one TFSV behavior, at least one time, on dating apps. Within the four subsections of the TFSV-V scale, digital sexual harassment items were, on average, most highly reported while sexual aggression/coercion items were, on average, the least reported. The most frequently experienced item within digital sexual harassment was receiving unwanted sexually explicit images, comments, or messages on dating apps. This is consistent with previous research stating that a majority of college students received unwanted pornographic content (Finn, 2004). The item with the highest average score within image-based sexual abuse was being coerced into sending nude or semi-nude images to someone from a dating app. The item with the highest average score within sexual aggression/coercion was someone from a dating app showing their private body parts without consent. Finally, the item with the highest average score within the gender/sexuality-based sexual harassment section was receiving gender-based offensive and/or degrading messages, comments, or content from someone via a dating app.

Additionally, there were significant findings within the study about the frequency of dating app facilitated sexual violence based on gender and sexuality. Based on gender, this study found that the frequency of dating app facilitated sexual violence was higher for women than for men. This finding is consistent with previous research stating that women report more negative dating app interactions (Anderson et.al., 2020). Of all four TFSV-V scale sections, frequency of digital sexual harassment had the largest average difference between men and women. This study also found that participants who identify as a sexual minority reported a higher average frequency of dating app facilitated sexual violence when compared to heterosexual/straight participants. This is consistent with previous research stating members of the LGBTQ+ community report more TFSV (Anderson et.al., 2020). Of the four TFSV-V scale subsections, the frequency of experiencing digital sexual harassment had the largest average difference between heterosexual and sexual minority participants

Participants in the study were also asked to report what sexual violence they experienced outside of dating apps since the age of 14 and how many times it happened. The frequency of general adult sexual violence outside of dating apps was much lower (36.7%) than on dating apps. This is very close to previous research that reported 27.3% of women and 10.8% of men experience unwanted sexual contact in their lifetime (Breiding, 2014).

Regarding the six mental health measures included in the study, symptomology for all six were significantly correlated to the frequency of dating app facilitated sexual violence. Increased frequency of dating app facilitated sexual violence was a significant predictor for increased symptoms of PTSD, increased symptoms of depression, increased symptoms of anxiety, lower self-esteem, increased loneliness, and decreased perceived self-control. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis made that people who experience dating app facilitated sexual violence would have higher levels of PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptoms. These findings are also consistent with previous research regarding TFSV causing increased symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD, and lower self-esteem (Snaychuk & O’Neill, 2020). There was no previous known research found on TFSV and its effects on loneliness or perceived self-control to compare with this study. Of all mental health measures, increased frequency of dating app facilitated sexual violence had the highest correlation with PTSD symptoms.

The next hypothesis made in this study was that people who experience sexual violence both via dating apps and outside of dating apps will have more negative mental health effects than people who have only experienced sexual violence outside of dating apps. Based on the study results, participants who reported sexual violence both on dating apps and outside dating apps had almost the same average scores for depression, PTSD, self-esteem, and loneliness, and lower average scores for anxiety and perceived self-control than participants who only reported sexual violence outside of dating apps. However, there is not enough statistical power in this subsample of participants to assess whether or not these groups differ statistically on these mental health outcomes. The final hypothesis was that participants who experienced sexual violence only via dating apps would have similar total scores for PTSD as those who experienced sexual violence outside of dating apps. The sample size of students experiencing sexual violence only via dating apps was too small in this study to assess statistical significance. All in all, this study provides support for the idea that dating app facilitated sexual violence is a significant predictor of increased negative mental health symptoms.

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