Moral Disengagement Mechanisms in Image-Based Sexual Abuse Against Women: The Role of Age and Gender

Image-based sexual abuse (IBSA) is an increasingly prevalent problem that disproportionately affects women. Understanding the psychological processes related to this behavior is essential for its prevention. Accordingly, the present study examines the activation of moral disengagement mechanisms in IBSA contexts by considering the role of gender and age across the lifespan. Specifically, by using a vignette-based methodology, this study investigates which moral disengagement mechanisms are activated in scenarios of sextortion and non-consensual intimate image sharing (NCIIS) involving male-perpetrated abuse against women. A sample of 2343 participants (68.2% women) aged 14–74 years (M = 25.86, SD = 9.96, Mo = 19) completed measures which assessed eight mechanisms of moral disengagement. The results indicated that men exhibited higher levels of moral disengagement than women in relation to both sextortion and NCIIS, with younger men reporting the highest levels. Gender differences were more pronounced for NCIIS (ηp2 = 0.085) than for sextortion (ηp2 = 0.043). With regard to age, older participants reported lower overall levels of moral disengagement in both scenarios, although age effects were comparatively small (ηp2 = 0.020–0.026). The minimization of consequences in sextortion was the only mechanism that remained relatively stable across ages. Analyses also revealed significant age × gender interactions, particularly for NCIIS (ηp2 = 0.016), indicating that moral disengagement among women remained at consistently lower levels, whereas initial gender differences between men and women decreased with age. These findings are consistent with prior literature which suggests that both sextortion and NCIIS constitute gendered forms of violence and highlight the importance of targeting young men in prevention and intervention efforts aimed at challenging the justifications underlying these behaviors.