Exploring blame and empathy in image-based sexual abuse: The impact of objectification and rape myth acceptance in digital contexts

Image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) is a significant and prevalent form of gender-based violence that can involve a range of psychological and social harms for victims, yet societal responses often minimize these impacts. This study is part of a larger research project that examined factors relevant to individuals’ perceptions of victims and perpetrators of IBSA. The current study sought to understand how IBSA-specific myth acceptance and objectification of women were associated with victim empathy, victim blame, and perpetrator blame following IBSA, over and above the influence of participant gender, IBSA context, and rape myth acceptance for in-person sexual violence. A sample of 149 university students completed self-report measures and responded to IBSA vignettes. Multiple hierarchical regression analyses showed that IBSA-specific myths but not objectification accounted for variance in blame attributions for both victims and perpetrators above the influence of participant gender, IBSA context, and in-person rape myth acceptance. Further, we found that both IBSA-specific myth acceptance and objectification were related to lower displays of empathy for the victim, with objectification having unique explanatory value beyond both types of rape myth acceptance, gender, and IBSA context for victim empathy. By examining the unique roles of objectification and IBSA-myth acceptance, this study contributes new knowledge that can direct future research efforts. The findings highlight the need for targeted education programs that address both IBSA-specific myths and the objectification of women to promote more empathetic and supportive responses to victims.