SPECIAL ISSUE 1 June 2026
DOI DOI: 10.66434/ijspsy.v1i1si.502

Prevalence and correlates of technology-facilitated gender-based violence among Ghanaian University students

Nuworza Kugbey 1, Daniel Adom-Fynn1, Isaac Nyarko Kwakye1, Adwoa Oforiwa Antwi1, Rosemary Lartey-Nyaunu1, Eric Nyarko-Sampson1
  1. 1 University of Environment and Sustainable Development, Ghana

Abstract

Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) is an emerging psychosocial concern with serious implications for students’ health and well-being. Although TFGBV has received increasing scholarly attention globally, empirical evidence from Ghana remains limited, constraining the development of context-specific interventions for tertiary students, who constitute a major population of digital technology users. This study examined the prevalence of TFGBV and its correlates among university students in Ghana. An internet-based cross-sectional survey was conducted among university students, yielding 444 valid responses. Structured questionnaires assessed experiences of TFGBV, mental health outcomes, and perpetrator characteristics. Participants were recruited through convenience and snowball sampling strategies. Data were analysed using Jeffreys’s Amazing Statistics Programme (JASP, version 18.3), employing descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and independent t-tests at a 0.05 level of significance. The results revealed that overall, 51.13% of participants reported online harassment and gender-based abuse, 71.62% cyberstalking and digital surveillance, 29.28% non-consensual sharing of images or digital content, 27.25% online sexual coercion and exploitation, and 36.94% digital control and abuse by intimate partners. Perpetrators were predominantly unknown (48.20%), followed by males (33.78%), females (14.19%), and mixed-sex perpetrators (3.83%). No significant sex differences were observed in reported experiences of TFGBV. After controlling for age, TFGBV was significantly and positively associated with depression (r = .22, p < .001), anxiety (r = .33, p < .001), post-traumatic stress symptoms (r = .31, p < .001), and suicidal behaviours (r = .37, p < .001). this study concluded that TFGBV is highly prevalent among university students in Ghana and is significantly associated with adverse mental health outcomes. These findings highlight the urgent need for targeted prevention strategies, enhanced digital safety education, and accessible mental health support services within tertiary institutions.  

How to Cite

Kugbey , N., Adom-Fynn, D., Kwakye, I. N., Antwi, A. O., Lartey-Nyaunu, R., & Nyarko-Sampson, E. (2026). Prevalence and correlates of technology-facilitated gender-based violence among Ghanaian University students. International Journal of Studies in Psychology, 1(1si), 48–55. https://doi.org/10.66434/ijspsy.v1i1si.502
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS) BibTeX

References

  1. Aboagye, R. G., Seidu, A. A., Cadri, A., Salihu, T., Arthur-Holmes, F., Sam, S. T., & Ahinkorah, B. O. (2023). Ending violence against women: Help-seeking behaviour of women exposed to intimate partner violence in sub-Saharan Africa. PLoS one, 18(10), e0291913. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0291913
  2. Albikawi, Z. F. (2023). Anxiety, depression, self-esteem, internet addiction, and predictors of cyberbullying and cybervictimisation among female nursing university students: A cross-sectional study. International journal of environmental research and public health, 20(5), 4293. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20054293
  3. Ayodeji, U. (2025). Examining the Impact of Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence on the Mental Health and Well-being of Adolescents. Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology. https://doi.org/10.9734/cjast/2025/v44i54537
  4. Bansal, V., Rezwan, M., Iyer, M., Leasure, E., Roth, C., Pal, P., & Hinson, L. (2023). A Scoping Review of Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence in Low- and Middle-Income Countries Across Asia. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 25, 463–475. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380231154614
  5. Champion, A., Oswald, F., Khera, D., & Pedersen, C. (2021). Examining the Gendered Impacts of Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence: A Mixed Methods Approach. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 51, 1607–1624. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-021-02226-y
  6. Cochran, W. G. (1977). Sampling Techniques (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
  7. Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Sage Publications.
  8. De Araújo, A., Bonfim, C., Bushatsky, M., & Furtado, B. (2022). Technology-facilitated sexual violence: a review of virtual violence against women. Research, Society and Development. https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i2.25757
  9. Dunn, S. (2020). Technology-facilitated gender-based violence: An overview. Centre for International Governance Innovation: Supporting a Safer Internet Paper No. 1. Available at https://ssrn.com/abstract=3772042
  10. Dunn, S. (2023). Addressing gaps and limitations in legal frameworks and law enforcement on technology-facilitated gender-based violence. Available at https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4852083
  11. Hartmann, M., Browne, E., Mutangabende, S., Mungwari, P., Stotesbury, D., Woollett, N., Kågesten, A., Roberts, S., & Hatcher, A. (2025). Prevalence of technology-facilitated and other gender-based violence among adolescent girls in Gqeberha, South Africa, and its association with probable common mental disorders. Frontiers in Global Women's Health, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgwh.2025.1546901
  12. Henry, N., & Powell, A. (2015). Beyond the ‘sext’: Technology-facilitated sexual violence and harassment against adult women. Australian & New Zealand journal of criminology, 48(1), 104–118. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004865814524218
  13. Henry, N., & Powell, A. (2018). Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence: A Literature Review of Empirical Research. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 19, 195–208. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838016650189
  14. Kavishe, A. (2024). The contribution of digital technology in exacerbating gender-based violence against female students in higher learning institutions in Tanzania. African Journal of Social Issues. https://doi.org/10.4314/ajosi.v7i1.57
  15. Kim, S., Choi, E., & Champion, J. (2023). Technology-facilitated Sexual Violence in South Korea: A Content Analysis of a Website for Victims. Violence against Women, 30, 3077–3090. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778012231172712
  16. Koch, L., Russo Riva, M. P., & Steinert, J. I. (2025). Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence Against Politically Active Women: A Systematic Review of Psychological and Political Consequences and Women’s Coping Behaviors. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 15248380251343185. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380251343185
  17. Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. (2003). The Patient Health Questionnaire-2: validity of a two-item depression screener. Medical care, 41(11), 1284–1292. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.MLR.0000093487.78664.3C
  18. Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., Williams, J. B., Monahan, P. O., & Löwe, B. (2007). Anxiety disorders in primary care: prevalence, impairment, comorbidity, and detection. Annals of Internal Medicine, 146(5), 317–325. https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-146-5-200703060-00004
  19. Martin, A., Keskes, H., Jemaa, N., & Bourgou, S. (2025). The Mental Health Impacts of Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence on Tunisian Women. Violence against women, 10778012251351928. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778012251351928
  20. Martínez-Bacaicoa, J., Real-Brioso, N., Mateos-Pérez, E., & Gámez-Guadix, M. (2024). The role of gender and sexism in the moral disengagement mechanisms of technology-facilitated sexual violence. Comput. Hum. Behav., 152, 108060. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2023.108060.
  21. Monteiro, R., Grangeia, H., & Santos, A. (2024). Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence: Victimisation and Risk Factors. Social Sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13070372.
  22. Montero-Fernández, D., Hernando-Gómez, Á., García-Rojas, A., & Del Río Olvera, F. (2023). Click Surveillance of Your Partner! Digital Violence among University Students in England. Social Sciences. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12040203.
  23. Patel, U., & Roesch, R. (2020). The Prevalence of Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 23, 428–443. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838020958057.
  24. Porter, A., Falcon, A., Graefe, B., Metheny, N., Cooper, S., & Astorini, A. (2024). Swipe Left on Sexual Harassment: Understanding and Addressing Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence on Dating Apps. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 40, 2964–2983. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605241265672
  25. Powell, A., & Henry, N. (2019). Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence Victimisation: Results from an Online Survey of Australian Adults. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 34, 3637–3665. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260516672055
  26. Raftery, P., Howard, N., Palmer, J., & Hossain, M. (2022). Gender-based violence (GBV) coordination in humanitarian and public health emergencies: a scoping review. Conflict and health, 16(1), 37. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13031-022-00471-z
  27. Rogers, M., Fisher, C., Ali, P., Allmark, P., & Fontes, L. (2022). Technology-Facilitated Abuse in Intimate Relationships: A Scoping Review. Trauma, Violence & Abuse, 24, 2210–2226. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380221090218
  28. Tetteh, P. K., & Kankam, P. K. (2024). The role of social media in information dissemination to improve youth interactions. Cogent Social Sciences, 10(1), 2334480. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2024.2334480
  29. Weathers, F. W., Litz, B. T., Keane, T. M., Palmieri, P. A., Marx, B. P., & Schnurr, P. P. (2013). The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) [Measurement instrument]. National Center for PTSD.
  30. UN Women. (2021). Women’s representation in local government: A global analysis. Hämtad, 27(2021), 2022-01.
  31. World Health Organisation (WHO). (2021). Violence against women prevalence estimates, 2018: global, regional and national prevalence estimates for intimate partner violence against women and global and regional prevalence estimates for non-partner sexual violence against women. World Health Organisation.
  32. Zhang, J., & Mo, Q. (2025). Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence among Chinese University Students: Victimisation, Perpetration, and Association with Mental Health. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 54, 1941 - 1955. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-025-03129-y
  33. Zhong, L., Kebbell, M., & Webster, J. (2020). An exploratory study of Technology-Facilitated Sexual Violence in online romantic interactions: Can the Internet's toxic disinhibition exacerbate sexual aggression?. Comput. Hum. Behav., 108, 106314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2020.106314