6,303 research outputs found

    Electronic Media Use and Dating Aggression Among Young Adult College Students

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    Electronic media are popular for communication among adults ages 18 to 25. However, electronic media may also be used as tools for dating aggression, such as intimidation, insult, control, or abuse. The purpose of this quantitative casual-comparative study was to examine whether adult attachment styles predict electronically-mediated dating aggression. Adult attachment style theory provided the framework for the study. Survey data were collected from 300 first-year college students ages 18 to 25. The independent variable was students’ attachment style as measured by the Experiences of Close Relationships Scale–Revised. Dependent variables were operationalized using the Partner Electronic Aggression Questionnaire, the Situational Triggers of Aggressive Responses, and the Partner Aggression Technology Scale. Results of between-group analyses of variance indicated no significant differences for attachment style in victimization or perpetration or for goals of dating aggression. Students with preoccupied attachment styles scored significantly higher than secure or anxious students in situational triggers for frustration. Results may inform stakeholders regarding risk factors for electronically-mediated dating aggression, and may help stakeholders in planning prevention and intervention activities

    Using A Holistic Lens Of Adolescent Sexuality To Understand The Onset Of Girls’ Sexting

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    Sexting, defined in this study as consensually sending or receiving sexually explicit texts, photos, or videos, is now commonplace during adolescence. Yet, research on adolescent sexting predominantly treats this behavior as risky, focusing on potential deleterious legal and mental health ramifications. This perspective is especially salient for females. Although sexting can have unintended negative consequences, a risk-centered perspective neglects the developmental contexts in which sexting emerges to obscure our ability to identify for whom and when sexting may be normative versus risky. There is a pressing need for a more holistic view of female adolescent sexuality that considers its positive and developmental features as well as its associated risks. The current study embraces this approach to shed light on sexting by examining the onset of girls’ sexting among a sample of 79 urban, mostly African American (73%) youth. Results indicated that sexting is common in adolescence, and that sexting tended to occur around the same time as genital contact behavior, but typically before sexual intercourse. Additionally, both a normative factor (the number of prior romantic and sexual partners) and a risk factor (prior IPV exposure) were marginally significant predictors of earlier onset of adolescent sexting. Lastly, most teens, regardless of their sexting status, indicated sexual agency as the main reason that they would sext. Pressure was not a salient motivation for girls to sext. Further, of girls who had sexted, those who had sexted early (before age 16), as opposed to later, were more likely to endorse body affirmation motives. These findings provide the foundation for contextualizing sexting within normative sexual and romantic development, and provide insights as to when sexting might be considered normative versus risky. Information gained from this study can inform targeted curricula for promoting sexual health and communication

    Monitoring, Creeping, or Surveillance? A Synthesis of Online Social Information Seeking Concepts

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    Affordances of Internet sites and Internet-based applications make personal information about romantic partners, friends, family members, and strangers easy to obtain. People use various techniques to find information about others, capitalizing on online affordances by using search engines to find relevant websites and databases; scouring the target’s social media or social networking site presence; accessing information about the target via their links or network association with others on social media; or asking questions or crowdsourcing information through online channels. Researchers have coined an assortment of terms to describe online social information seeking behaviors, such as interpersonal electronic surveillance, social surveillance, monitoring, patient-targeted Googling, cybervetting, websleuthing, human flesh search, lateral surveillance, Facebook surveillance, and Facebook stalking. Although considerable research has examined these behaviors, there has been little effort to clarify the concepts themselves. As a result, the literature is currently full of inconsistent and overlapping conceptualizations. To synthesize these concepts for future research, this review examines 73 online social information seeking concepts extracted from 186 articles. Specifically, the concepts are reviewed in light of their scope; the information seeker or target of information seeking (e.g., romantic partners, parents, children, employees, criminals); motives for information seeking (e.g., uncertainty, threat, curiosity); and the intensity of the behavior. Recommendations are provided for future research, such as employing clear conceptualizations and incorporating affordances. Finally, we offer a decision tree that researchers can use to help select appropriate terms to use in their work moving forward

    Turbulence, Turmoil, and Termination: The Dark Side of Social Networking Sites for Romantic Relationships

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    Excerpt: Social networking websites (SNSs) have become an integral medium for communicating within and about interpersonal relationships (boyd & Ellison, 2008; Stafford & Hillyer, 2012). SNSs have been lauded for their ability to unite distal friends, maintain relational ties, facilitate relationship development, and promote social capital (e.g., Ellison, Vitak, Gray, & Lampe, 2014; Fox, Warber, & Makstaller, 2013; McEwan, 2013). Although considerable research has elected to focus on the benefits of using SNSs, it is also important to examine the dark side of computer-mediated communication (DeAndrea, Tong, & Walther, 2011). For example, SNS use has been tied to decreases in psychological well-being (Chen & Lee, 2013), and scholars have noted negative psychological outcomes when users experience rejection on SNSs (e.g., Bevan, Ang, & Fearns, 2014; Tokunaga, 2011a, 2014)

    Validation of the Young Adult Relational Aggression Scale

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    Relational aggression has been associated with a host of negative correlates in previous studies of children, adolescents, and emerging adults. Further research is necessary for the purposes of identifying prevention and intervention strategies; however, research on relational aggression among emerging adults has been complicated by the lack of available psychometrically sound measures, particularly those that capture the proactive and reactive functions of relational aggression. The present study extended previous efforts to develop a new self-report measure of relational aggression for emerging adults called the Young Adult Relational Aggression Scale (YARAS). A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed using a sample of 402 college students. The predicted four-factor model of the YARAS was supported, though model re-specification was necessary to achieve adequate model fit. Adequate internal consistency was found for all scales. Evidence in support of convergent and discriminant validity was obtained through correlations of the YARAS scales with measures of theoretically related (i.e., alcohol-related problems, internalizing problems, psychopathy, and loneliness) and distinct constructs (e.g., physical aggression). The extent to which the YARAS adequately discriminates the reactive and proactive functions of aggression warrants additional study. Future directions for the development of the YARAS are discussed

    Sexting within young adults’ dating and romantic relationships

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    Sexting, herein defined as the sending of self-made sexually explicit images, is a modern-day form of sexual communication. This review discusses recent findings in sexting research among (young) adults. We find that despite its risks, sexting is increasingly used within dating and romantic relationships and can carry different meanings depending on the context in which the images are exchanged. Risks associated with sexting include pressure, experiences of unwanted sexting, unauthorized distribution, and coercion. Problematic forms of sexting can have significant consequences on the victims. We suggest the need for future research to make use of a uniform and nuanced measure of sexting and underscore the need to focus on adolescents as well as adults of all ages

    How Adolescents Use Text Messaging Through their High School Years

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    Co‐construction theory suggests adolescents use digital communication to address developmental challenges. For a sample of 214 ethnically diverse adolescents, this research used direct observation to investigate the frequency, content, and timing of texting with parents, peers, and romantic partners through grades 9–12. Analyses showed that texting frequency follows a curvilinear trajectory, peaking in eleventh grade. Adolescents discussed a range of topics, predominantly with peers. Communication with parents was less frequent, but consistent over time. Approximately 45‐65% of adolescents communicated with romantic partners, texting heavily and about topics similar to those discussed with peers. Texting may help adolescents navigate key developmental challenges of adolescence—the establishment of autonomy, intimate peer relationships, romantic relationships, and self‐identity

    Assessment and Investigation of Electronic Aggression in the Romantic Relationships of Emerging Adults

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    The current studies develop a psychometric scale capable of measuring electronic aggression and perpetration within emerging adult romantic couples: the Partner Electronic Aggression Questionnaire (PEAQ). The scale is based in the body of literature examining aggression within social relationships, particularly aggression and intimate partner violence (IPV) occurring within established romantic relationships. Moreover, the scale was designed with the rationale that developing a psychometrically sound measure of electronic aggression will allow researchers to examine how electronic aggression may be related to IPV and psychosocial functioning for both victims and perpetrators. The present studies suggested that the PEAQ is an internally consistent and reliable scale capable of differentiating electronic aggression perpetration and victimization. Additionally, the studies demonstrated that the PEAQ consists of two factors including public and private electronic aggression. Private electronic aggression perpetration demonstrated convergent validity with psychological aggression perpetration, and public and private perpetration demonstrated discriminant validity with self-reported openness and negotiation. Findings also support that although associated, public and private electronic aggression may be differentially related to other forms of traditional aggression and indicators of psychosocial functioning. Electronic aggression is discussed as a construct that needs to be further investigated to more fully understand the context of aggression within romantic relationships. These findings and their implications, as well as directions for future research are discussed
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