EXPERIENCES OF DEALING WITH ONLINE SEXUAL HARASSMENT AMONG YOUNG ADULTS: AN INTERPRETATIVE PHENOMENOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
Main Article Content
Abstract
Research in Vietnam has rarely studied online sexual harassment (OSH) from the perspective of young adults who experience it. This study used interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to analyze in-depth interview data from eight young adults aged 19–25 living in HCMC to understand how they made sense of these incidents, responded to threats and tried to regain sense of safety. Five group experiential themes were identified: violations of safety boundaries; threat intensifies as personal agency narrows; the imprint of threat on psychological and bodily responses; efforts to regain and maintain agency; and lingering unease despite coping efforts. How serious OSH felt to participants was linked to how much control they believed they had over their private information and what they feared might happen. Some still worried about further threats; others felt safer when they thought they could manage the situation. These findings point to the importance of education about consent, digital boundaries, privacy protection, and responses to threatened dissemination, alongside nonjudgmental support to help those affected regain safety and control.
Keywords
interpretative phenomenological analysis, Ho Chi Minh City, online sexual harassment, young adults
Article Details
References
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