What is it about?
Technology has created new forms of abuse, but scientific measurement has lagged behind. We introduced the Intimate Image Abuse Scale to explicitly measure acts like non-consensual sharing, voyeurism, and the use of deepfake technology. By modeling these behaviors as a network of events rather than a single trait, we identified specific patterns of victimization that lead to higher levels of PTSD.
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Why is it important?
Our findings demonstrate that victimization is not a static "trait" but a complex network of interconnected events, where specific acts of coercion act as "bridges" to other forms of abuse. This challenges the traditional view of online harassment by proving that Intimate Image Abuse is structurally distinct from general cyberbullying. This distinction is vital for clinicians, as it shifts the focus from treating generalized online safety to addressing specific, trauma-inducing behaviors like voyeurism and dissemination threats.
Perspectives
This project was born out of a realization that technology is evolving faster than our ability to study it. While the legal world is beginning to catch up to the harms of deepfakes and digital sexual violence, scientific measurement has lagged behind. I felt it was urgent to create a tool that explicitly accounts for digitally manipulated images and the unique dynamics of online coercion. My hope is that this scale serves as a 'future-proof' foundation for researchers trying to keep pace with the rapidly changing landscape of technology-facilitated abuse.
Kamilla Bonnesen
University of Ottawa
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Validation of the Intimate Image Abuse Scale: A network psychometrics approach., Psychology of Violence, November 2025, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/vio0000655.
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