ECPN poster contestant: Predicting Adolescent Cyber Dating Violence Perpetration and Victimization: The Role of Relational Styles and Mental Health

Introduction: Cyber dating violence (DV) is a form of psychological abuse experienced by nearly 26% of teens. Romantic relational styles are linked to the attachment, affiliative, caregiving, and sexual/reproductive behavioral systems, and may be an important predictor of cyber DV. Those with avoidant and anxious relational styles are more likely to perpetrate and be victims of physical DV, respectively, but little is known about the associations among styles and cyberDV, particularly in adolescence. Previous studies have also shown that mental health functioning is another potential risk factor for teen DV. However, no studies have examined relational styles, mental health functioning, and cyber DV perpetration/victimization among female adolescents with histories of DV involvement.

Methods: Data are from an RCT of a group intervention to reduce HIV and DV risk among urban adolescent girls. Participants were 109 girls (ages 14-17, 50% Hispanic, 35% African-American) who endorsed a history of DV. Participants completed questionnaires at baseline and three-month follow-up. Measures included the Behavioral Systems Questionnaire for romantic styles across four behavioral systems (attachment, caregiving, affiliation, physical intimacy), the Columbia Impairment Scale to assess mental health impairment, and a measure of cyber DV victimization/perpetration developed for the study.

Results: Generalized linear models (GLMs) examined associations between baseline mental health impairment and relational styles and cyber DV perpetration/victimization three months later, controlling for cyber DV at baseline. For victimization, secure attachment (χ² = 4.22, p < .05), and secure physical intimacy styles (χ² = 4.68, p < .05) predicted more cyber DV. Results approached significance for cyber DV victimization and avoidant attachment (χ² = 3.56, p = .059) and caregiving styles (χ² = 2.92, p = .087). Avoidant (χ² = 4.52, p < .05) and secure attachment styles (χ² = 3.26, p = .07, trend-level) predicted more cyber DV perpetration. Mental health impairment was associated with more cyber DV perpetration and victimization in all models (ps < .05). Interestingly, when participants were split by sexual history, these associations only held for teens who reported having had sex.

Conclusions: This study is the first to examine relational styles and mental health impairment as predictors of cyber DV among adolescent girls with DV histories. Findings underscore the importance of assessing and targeting cyber DV in clinical and research work with teens. Cyber DV prevention should address both perpetration and victimization, and recognize that sexually active teens, teens with more mental health impairment, and those with more secure and avoidant styles may all be at greater risk.