Image-Based Sexual Abuse Associated Factors: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Purpose Image-Based Sexual Abuse (IBSA) is a recently studied form of violence and abuse perpetrated using technology. This systematic review aims to examine and systematize studies exploring factors associated with IBSA (e.g., victimization, perpetration, and propensity to perpetrate). Method Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement, 17 articles were included. Results The results of this study highlighted conceptual and methodological limitations in the literature on IBSA. Aside from these limitations, this systematic review identified factors associated with IBSA, focusing on four macro-areas: victimization, perpetration, propensity to perpetrate IBSA, and IBSA implications. The results demonstrated the role of psychological, relational, and social variables, although the effect sizes observed in the quantitative studies were small or in few cases moderate. Conclusions These results suggest further research should be carried out to explore the multidimensionality of IBSA and its associated factors, which may assist in guiding interventions to promote preventive and rehabilitative methods to lower the prevalence of this crime and its consequences.

School prevention of non-consensual sexting among middle adolescents: Does sexual preoccupation awareness matter?

“…Recent systematic reviews (e.g., Paradiso et al, 2023 ) have pointed out that sexting has become a phenomenon with global dimensions and several psychological, relational, and social factors have been associated with its manifestation. However, only very few studies focus on sexting in adolescence (under 18 years old), showing however that almost 15% of them report sending sexts, almost 28% have received sexts, and approximately 9% have forwarded sexts to third parties without consent ( Madigan et al, 2018 ; Barroso et al, 2021 ).…”

“Anything I could do to not have it paralyze me was welcome”: Coping strategies employed by survivors of image-based sexual abuse.

“…Despite the prevalence of IBSA, empirical research on the phenomenon is scant, and the covert and secretive nature of IBSA results in methodological challenges for studying it (for a review, see Paradiso et al, 2023). Notably, there is a dearth of validated measures for evaluating the prevalence of IBSA.…”