Recommended Instruments for Analyzing Cyber Dating Violence: A Systematic Review

Cyber dating violence is an emerging form of dating violence that may have serious health effects on adolescents and young people, and in recent years interest in its study has increased. In order to understand completely the nature and magnitude of the problem, a clear understanding of the concept, constructs and well-established measurement tools are needed. The goal of this study was to analyze the measurement instruments of cyber dating violence in adolescents and young adults, and to determine which are the best suitable to use. To accomplish these objectives a systematic review was carried out. After reviewing the literature, twenty-four measurement instruments were analyzed, with important differences found between them in terms, constructs, dimensions and measurement attributes, as well as differences in their assessed psychometric properties. Once the methodological quality evaluation of the instruments was carried out following COSMIN (COnsensus based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments) guidelines, three scales were found to be recommendable depending on the age and cultural context of participants: Cyber Dating Abuse Questionnaire (Borrajo, Gamez-Guadix, Pereda, et al., 2015), Technology-facilitated Abuse in Relationships Scale (Brown & Hegarty, 2021), and Abuse in Teen Relationships (CARPA; Calvete et al., 2021)

Perpetrating Cyber Dating Abuse: A Brief Report on the Role of Aggression, Romantic Jealousy and Gender

There is increasing evidence that the use of elec-tronic communication technology (ECT) is being integrated into romantic relationships, which can be used as a medium to control a romantic partner. Most research focuses on the vic-tims of cyber dating abuse, however, we focused on the factors that predict perpetration of cyber dating abuse. We explored whether aggression (verbal aggression, physical aggression, anger and hostility), romantic jealousy (emotional, cognitive and behavioral jealousy), and gender predicted perpetration of cyber dating abuse (n = 189). We found that hostility, behav-ioral jealousy and gender significantly predicted perpetration of cyber dating abuse. The findings of this study contribute to our understanding of the psychological factors that drive cyber dating abuse in romantic relationships

Creencias justificadoras de la violencia, mitos sobre el amor y abuso online en el noviazgo

Distorted beliefs about violence and love are often associated with the presence of violence in dating relationships. This study analyzes the relationship between beliefs that justify violence and myths about love in two types of cyber dating abuse (control and direct aggression). Method: The sample consisted of 656 young people between the ages of 18 and 30 years (79.5% women). Results: Regression analysis showed that justifi cation of cyber dating abuse was signifi cantly associated with a higher likelihood of direct aggression in online dating relationships. Myths about love were associated with a greater likelihood of control in online dating relationships. Furthermore, the relationship between justifi cation of cyber dating abuse and perpetration of direct aggression was stronger in women. The relationship between myths about love and perpetration of online control was stronger among the youngest individuals. Conclusion: The justifi cation of abuse and myths about love are important aspects in the development of different kinds of online abuse among young couples. This finding has important implications for the prevention of and intervention in these behaviorsLas creencias distorsionadas sobre la violencia y el amor se han relacionado con la presencia de violencia en las relaciones de pareja. El presente estudio analiza la relación de las creencias que justifican la violencia y los mitos del amor en dos formas de abuso online en el noviazgo (control y agresión directa). Método: la muestra estuvo compuesta por 656 jóvenes de entre 18 y 30 años (79.5% mujeres). Resultados: los análisis de regresión pusieron de manifiesto que la justificación del abuso online se asoció significativamente a una mayor probabilidad de perpetración de agresión directa online en relaciones de noviazgo. Los mitos del amor, por su parte, se relacionaron con una mayor probabilidad de perpetración de control online. Además, la relación entre la justificación del abuso online y la perpetración de agresión directa fue más fuerte entre las mujeres. Por su parte, la relación entre los mitos sobre el amor y la perpetración de control fue más fuerte entre los más jóvenes. Conclusión: la justificación del abuso y los mitos del amor se presentan como aspectos importantes en la aparición de formas de abuso online en parejas. Esto tiene importantes implicaciones para la prevención e intervención sobre estos comportamientosThis research was supported by a DEusto unversity Training Grant (University of Deusto, Bilbao) and Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (Spanish Government) grant PSI2012-3155

Propiedades psicométricas del Cuestionario de Violencia de Pareja, versión corta (DVQ-8): una herramienta de evaluación para entornos educativos

Este artículo proporciona información psicométrica de un instrumento de screening de victimización en parejas jóvenes: Dating Violence Questionnaire de 8 ítems. Un primer estudio desarrolló un análisis factorial exploratorio con matrices de correlación policóricas y rotación oblimin con 990 jóvenes universitarios mexicanos con edad promedio de 19.5, de las que dos tercios fueron mujeres, obteniendo una estructura unifactorial con alta confiabilidad para varones y mujeres. El segundo estudio, con una muestra de 355 participantes, proporcionó información sobre la validez del instrumento, encontrando una relación positiva entre el Dating Violence Questionnaire de 8 ítems y victimización percibida, se obtuvieron una significación alta y el tamaño del efecto grande y una relación negativa entre el instrumento y estado de salud, con un efecto moderado. En conclusión, el DVQ-8 incluye indicadores confiables y válidos para la detección temprana de victimización en contextos educativos.This article provides psychometric information from a screening tool for victimization in young couples: the 8-Item Dating Violence Questionnaire. The first study undertook an exploratory factor analysis with polymorphic correlation matrices and oblimin rotation of 990 Mexican university students with an average age of 19.5, two thirds of whom were women, obtaining a unifactorial structure with high reliability for males and females. The second study, with a sample of 355 participants, provided information on the validity of the instrument, finding a positive relationship between the 8-Item Dating Violence Questionnaire and perceived victimization. High significance and a large effect size and negative relationship were obtained between the instrument and state of health, with a moderate effect. In conclusion, the DVQ-8 includes reliable, valid indicators for the early detection of victimization in educational settings

Measuring Cyber Dating Violence: Reliability and Validity of the Escala de CiberViolencia en Parejas Adolescentes (Cib-VPA) in Spanish Young Adults

The aim of this study was to obtain validity evidence of the Escala de Ciber-Violencia en Parejas Adolescentes (Cib-VPA) in the Spanish young adults. A total of 298 undergraduate students (222 women, 75 men and 2 people who identified themselves as 'other') completed the Cib-VPA and other related measures of offline and online dating violence. Internal consistency and construct, convergent and discriminant validity were evaluated. In line with the original validation study, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) provided evidence for an 18-item model comprising 2 subscales, with 2 factors per subscale. All had acceptable internal consistency values. Total and subscale scores correlated positively with online and offline dating violence measures, with these correlations being stronger in subscales evaluating violence in the same direction (perpetrated or victimisation). As expected, no differences were observed according to gender. This study shows validity evidences of Cib-VPA scores, which can be quickly and inexpensively administered to large samples of young adults.The Research Project was sponsored by the University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU, with grant number PPGA20/09 and GIU20/003

A New Frontier: The Development and Validation of the Intimate Partner Cyber Abuse Instrument

As technology advances, new opportunities for partners to gain power and control in their romantic relationships are readily available. New cyber-based behaviors have slowly garnered scholarly attention, but measurement-related issues have not. We take the logical next steps to (1) develop and validate a comprehensive measure of intimate partner cyber abuse (IPCA) for adults using classical test theory and item response theory and (2) estimate IPCA prevalence rate for a range of relationship types. A sample of 1,500 adults, currently in an intimate partner relationship, 18 years or older, and living in the United States, completed an online questionnaire about their IPCA experiences within the 6 months prior. Two parameter logistic modeling and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a five-dimensional structure: cyber direct aggression, cyber sexual coercion, cyber financial control, cyber control, and cyber monitoring, with 14.85% of the sample experiencing at least one dimension. These IPCA dimensions were examined for differential functioning across gender identity, race, student status, and relationship type. Collectively, the findings have implications for IPCA measurement and related research, including theoretically derived hypotheses whose findings can inform prevention

Parental Style, Dating Violence and Gender

The relationship between parenting styles and teen dating violence has become a relevant research topic in recent years, especially related to violence inflicted online. To more fully understand this relationship, the objective of the present study was to examine which parenting style (authoritarian, indulgent, authoritative, or neglectful) best protects against dating violence in adolescent relationships. A total of 1132 adolescents of both sexes participated in this study (46.4% boys and 53.6% girls), with ages between 14 and 18 years old (M = 15.6, SD = 1.3). A multivariate factorial design was applied (MANOVA, 4 2), using the parenting style, the parents’ gender, and the adolescents’ gender as independent variables, and the dating violence dimensions (online and o ine) as dependent variables. As the results show, the lowest scores on all the dating violence dimensions examined were obtained by adolescents from indulgent families. In addition, three interaction e ects were observed between the mother’s parenting style and the adolescent’s gender on online violence (e-violence and control), and the father’s parenting style on o ine violence (verbal-emotional). Thus, adolescents with authoritarian mothers obtained the highest scores on violence and control inflicted online, respectively, and adolescent girls with authoritarian fathers obtained the highest scores on verbal-emotional violence. These findings suggest that the indulgent style is the parenting style that protects against violence in teen dating relationships, and they also highlight the risks of the authoritarian style as a family child-rearing mode

Adolescents’ perceptions of digital media’s potential to elicit jealousy, conflict and monitoring behaviors within romantic relationships

Understanding the role of digital media in adolescents’ romantic relationships is essential to the prevention of digital dating violence. This study focuses on adolescents’ perceptions of the impact of digital media on jealousy, conflict, and control within their romantic relationships. Twelve focus group interviews were conducted, among 55 secondary school students (ngirls = 28; 51% girls) between the ages of 15 and 18 years (Mage = 16.60 years; SD age = 1.21), in the Dutch-speaking community of Belgium. The respondents identified several sources of jealousy within their romantic relationships, such as online pictures of the romantic partner with others and online messaging with others. Adolescents identified several ways in which romantic partners would react when experiencing feelings of jealousy, such as contacting the person they saw as a threat or looking up the other person’s social media profiles. Along with feelings of jealousy, respondents described several monitoring behaviors, such as reading each other’s e-mails or accessing each other’s social media accounts. Adolescents also articulated several ways that they curated their social media to avoid conflict and jealousy within their romantic relationships. For instance, they adapted their social media behavior by avoiding the posting of certain pictures, or by ceasing to comment on certain content of others. The discussion section includes suggestions for future research and implications for practice, such as the need to incorporate information about e-safety into sexual and relational education and the need to have discussions with adolescents, about healthy boundaries for communication within their friendships and romantic relationships.</jats:p

Digital intimate partner violence among peruvian youths : validation of an instrument and a theoretical proposal

The present study presents psychometric information on a new instrument, the Digital Intimate Partner Violence Questionnaire (DIPVQ), and explores the similitudes and differences between in-person and digital-based abuses (those that involve the use of information and communication technologies [ICTs]). In all, 449 Peruvian students took part in the study (X = 21.2 years; SD = 4.3 years; 73% women). DIPVQ structure was determined by carrying out an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with polychoric correlation matrices and oblique rotation. In-person violence was assessed using the Dating Violence Questionnaire (DVQ) and self-labeling questions (e.g., feeling trapped, afraid, and abused). Relationship satisfaction was assessed using the Perceived Relationship Quality Components–Short Form (PRQC-SF). EFA showed a two-scale structure for the DIPVQ: control-centered cyberabuse (N = 5; control, monitoring, and identity theft; EAP alpha = .96) and damage-centered cyberabuse (N = 7; unwanted sexual contents, blackmailing, and causing debts throughout ICT; Expected-A-Posteriori alpha = .97). DIPVQ had direct relationship to DVQ and self-labeling (p < .001; d = 0.38-1.18), and inverse to PRQC-SF (p = .11; d = .22-.33). Behaviors such as impersonation and monitoring were reported by more than 20% of participants. Online and offline victimization coexist in 42% of cases, while 3.6% of aggressions happened exclusively via ICT. DIPVQ is a valid and reliable measure of digital victimization. The controlcentered scale had a higher frequency, although the damage-centered scale had stronger relationship to feeling afraid and abused. While previous literature has classified online aggressions regarding their aesthetic appearance, it seems that their functional value (control vs. hurting) could provide a better framework for understanding these aggressions