{"title":"How Does Exposure to General and Sexual Harassment Relate to Female Gamers’ Coping Strategies and Mental Health?","authors":"Senya Wong, R. Ratan","doi":"10.1177/15554120231177600","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Female gamers are often exposed to not only general harassment but also sexual harassment during online multiplayer games. Although studies have investigated the effects of harassment and associated coping strategies on the mental health of females within the workplace, comparable studies have not been conducted within online gaming environments. This study surveyed adult female gamers to assess the relationship between female gamers’ exposure to general and sexual harassment, coping strategies (i.e., self-blame, seeking help), and mental health (i.e., distress, anxiety). General and sexual harassment were positively associated with distress and anxiety. Self-blame and seeking help moderated the association of general harassment with distress and anxiety, respectively. Findings highlight the importance of considering the type and level of harassment when examining how coping strategies may moderate the effects of harassment on female gamers’ mental health.","PeriodicalId":12634,"journal":{"name":"Games and Culture","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.4000,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Games and Culture","FirstCategoryId":"98","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120231177600","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"COMMUNICATION","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Female gamers are often exposed to not only general harassment but also sexual harassment during online multiplayer games. Although studies have investigated the effects of harassment and associated coping strategies on the mental health of females within the workplace, comparable studies have not been conducted within online gaming environments. This study surveyed adult female gamers to assess the relationship between female gamers’ exposure to general and sexual harassment, coping strategies (i.e., self-blame, seeking help), and mental health (i.e., distress, anxiety). General and sexual harassment were positively associated with distress and anxiety. Self-blame and seeking help moderated the association of general harassment with distress and anxiety, respectively. Findings highlight the importance of considering the type and level of harassment when examining how coping strategies may moderate the effects of harassment on female gamers’ mental health.
期刊介绍:
Games and Culture publishes innovative theoretical and empirical research about games and culture within the context of interactive media. The journal serves as a premiere outlet for groundbreaking and germinal work in the field of game studies. The journal"s scope includes the sociocultural, political, and economic dimensions of gaming from a wide variety of perspectives, including textual analysis, political economy, cultural studies, ethnography, critical race studies, gender studies, media studies, public policy, international relations, and communication studies.