Technology-Facilitated Abuse Prevalence and Associations Among a Nationally Representative Sample of Young Men.

PURPOSE: We undertook a study to determine the prevalence and associations of technology-facilitated abuse (TFA)-insults, harassment, coercion, or threats carried out using digital tools such as smartphones and computers-among a US nationally representative sample of young men. METHODS: Analyses were based on 1,079 men aged 18 to 35 years who completed questionnaires during August and September of 2014 and reported ever having been in a romantic relationship. We used validated measures to assess demographics, health service use, mental health and substance use, and TFA delivered to and received from partners in the past year. We calculated survey-weighted descriptive statistics and conducted multinomial logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Overall, 4.1% of men reported delivering TFA only, 8.0% receiving TFA only, and 25.6% both delivering and receiving TFA. Men were more likely to report only delivering TFA if they identified as Hispanic (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.72; 95% CI, 1.13 to 6.57), used marijuana (AOR = 1.31; 95% CI, 1.02 to 1.68), and used prescription opioids for nonmedical reasons (AOR 2.86; 95% CI, 1.48 to 5.54). Men were more likely to report only receiving TFA if they identified as Hispanic (AOR = 2.55; 95% CI, 1.01 to 6.43) and used prescription opioids for nonmedical reasons (AOR = 2.43; 95% CI, 1.34 to 4.39), whereas a primary care connection appeared protective (AOR = 0.43; 95% CI, 0.22 to 0.86). Men were more likely to report both delivering and receiving TFA if they identified as non-Hispanic Black (AOR = 2.83; 95% CI, 1.44 to 5.58), owned a smartphone (AOR = 1.80; 95% CI, 1.05 to 3.09), had ever had mental health care visits (AOR = 1.86; 95% CI, 1.16 to 2.98), misused alcohol (AOR = 1.10; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.17), and used prescription opioids for nonmedical reasons (AOR = 1.79; 95% CI, 1.04 to 3.08). CONCLUSIONS: We found that TFA was prevalent among young men, with 1 in 25 reporting delivery only, 1 in 12 reporting receipt only, and 1 in 4 reporting both. Primary care physicians can consider assessing TFA among male patients and developing interventions to mitigate this behavior.VISUAL ABSTRACT.

Living Life as the Bachelor/ette: Contributions of Diverse Television Genres to Adolescents' Acceptance of Gendered Sexual Scripts.

Gendered sexual scripts (GSS) reflect stereotypes about the gender-specific behaviors expected in romantic and sexual relationships. Television may be a powerful contributor to these scripts for adolescents because of its stereotypical portrayals and prominence in their lives. However, although television use is a consistent predictor of adults' GSS, few studies have tested these relations among adolescents, especially U.S. adolescents, and most report null results. Across two studies, we sought to decipher these patterns, investigating whether U.S. adolescents' regular exposure to diverse TV genres predicted their acceptance of GSS. In Study 1, we surveyed 574 adolescents aged 13-18, testing whether their viewing of three TV genres (scripted programming, reality TV, music videos) was associated with their support of GSS, as measured by four scales. In study 2, we surveyed a national sample of 398 adolescents, testing whether their viewing of four TV genres was associated with their support of GSS. For both studies, viewing of reality TV was associated with stronger support of each measure of GSS; there were few contributions of other genres. Gender moderated one interaction in each study, demonstrating stronger contributions for girls. Implications are discussed for media literacy programs and for teen dating abuse.

The Association Between Stereotypical Gender and Dating Beliefs and Digital Dating Abuse Perpetration in Adolescent Dating Relationships.

Digital media have become a significant context for adolescent dating relationships. As the use of social media and mobile phones increases, so do concerns that these media might be a context for "digital dating abuse" (DDA), or the use of digital media to harass, pressure, threaten, coerce, or monitor a dating partner. Although DDA has been shown to be common in adolescent dating relationships, little is known about the predictors of DDA perpetration or the role of stereotypical gender and dating beliefs in shaping these behaviors. This survey study of 703 high school students with dating experience investigated the role of gender beliefs in DDA perpetration using structural equation modeling. The survey included items pertaining to participants' digital media use, stereotypical gender and dating beliefs, and three types of DDA perpetration. Girls reported more frequent perpetration of some types of DDA, and boys expressed greater endorsement of stereotypical gender and dating beliefs. The data supported our hypothesized models, such that endorsement of stereotypical beliefs was associated with different types of DDA perpetration for girls and boys. Higher endorsement of stereotypical beliefs was related to perpetration of digital monitoring and control behaviors for girls, and to directly aggressive and hostile digital behaviors for boys. These patterns align with stereotypical gender roles. Associations with sexually coercive digital behaviors for both girls and boys are discussed. This study suggests that beyond the gender of the perpetrator, societal beliefs about gender and dating may shape the problematic use of digital media in dating relationships.

Elevating the Voices of Girls in Custody for Improved Treatment and Systemic Change in the Juvenile Justice System.

The U.S. juvenile justice system does not meet the needs of girls in custody, and often fails to address girls' symptoms of trauma and high rates of sexual exploitation histories. As the system shifts away from punitive detention to a trauma-informed approach with community-based services, community psychologists and other helping professionals can help center the needs and experiences of girls in custody. As part of a multi-year collaboration, our research team created a confidential youth advisory process in one juvenile detention center (JDC). We acted as liaisons between the girls in custody and JDC administrators, reporting girls' feedback to agencies at monthly meetings. Participant confidentiality, safety, and consent were priorities. The girls' feedback, which was conceptualized within a System Responsiveness and hierarchy of needs framework, led JDC probation and mental health staff to improve services (e.g., better laundry system, longer showers, warmer food), climate (e.g., consistent reward system, confidentiality of grievances), and treatment (e.g., increase focus on gender and culture) to reduce the trauma of incarceration among girls in custody. Girls' feedback also catalyzed systemic change that led to a reduction in the JDC population in favor of wraparound community-based services better suited to meet girls' needs. Implications for community psychology values and the juvenile justice system, including the benefits and challenges of this type of collaboration, are discussed.

Cyberbullying victimization and student engagement among adolescents: Does school climate matter?

Although the psychological impacts of cyberbullying victimization (CBV) have been documented, research is inconclusive about the role of contextual factors in the association between CBV and student engagement. Sampling 16,237 adolescents from 43 schools in Delaware, we used multilevel modeling to test how CBV was associated with emotional and cognitive-behavioral engagement at both the student and school levels, with the control for demographic factors and traditional bullying victimization (TBV). We also examined the moderating effects of school climate and grade level on the association between CBV and student engagement. CBV had a small but significant positive association with emotional engagement and a small but significant negative association with cognitive-behavioral engagement. School-level climate intensified the negative association between student-level CBV and cognitive-behavioral engagement and mitigated the positive association between student-level school climate and emotional engagement. The positive association between CBV and emotional engagement was stronger for high school than middle school students, whereas the negative association between CBV and cognitive-behavioral engagement was stronger for middle than high school students. The findings support the promotive role of positive school climate in student engagement promotion. The findings also support the healthy context paradox, which suggests that bullying victims' engagement in schools may be exacerbated in a social context with positive school climate perceived by the group members. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Bullying victimization and student engagement in elementary, middle, and high schools: Moderating role of school climate.

Bullying is the most common form of school violence and is associated with a range of negative outcomes, including traumatic responses. This study used hierarchical linear modeling to examine the multilevel moderating effects of school climate and school level (i.e., elementary, middle, and high schools) on the association between bullying victimization and student engagement. Participants included 25,896 students in 4th to 12th grades from 114 schools. Results indicated that, after controlling for student and school demographic factors, positive school climate was associated with higher behavioral/cognitive and emotional engagement of students across all grades. This highlights the critical and fundamental role of positive school climate in bullying prevention and intervention, among students across all grade levels, including those with frequent bullying victimization experience. Results also showed that negative associations between student-level bullying victimization and engagement were intensified in more positive school climates. This finding suggests that, in comparison with students in schools with less positive school climates, the engagement of bullying victims in schools with a more positive school climate might be more negatively influenced by their victimization experience. Additionally, the relation between student-level bullying victimization and emotional engagement was significantly different across middle and high schools. (PsycINFO Database Record

Dating and Sexual Violence Research in the Schools: Balancing Protection of Confidentiality with Supporting the Welfare of Survivors.

Rigorous research and program evaluation are needed to understand the experience of dating and sexual violence among youth and the impact of prevention and intervention efforts. Our dilemma in doing this work occurred when youth disclosed dating and sexual violence on a research survey. What responsibility do researchers have to protect survivors' confidentiality as a research participant versus taking steps to ensure the student has the opportunity to access help? In our evaluation of a pilot dating violence prevention program, our protocols employed widely used procedures for providing resources to participants upon their completion of the survey and de-identifying survey data. Upon reviewing preliminary survey results, we became concerned that these established procedures were not sufficient to support research participants who were adolescent survivors of dating and sexual violence. We followed a structured ethical decision-making process to examine legal and ethical considerations, consult with colleagues, consider impacts and alternative solutions, and ultimately find a solution. Through this process, we developed procedures that balance participant confidentiality and the desire to support the welfare of survivors, which other researchers may want to employ when conducting youth sexual and dating violence research in school and community settings.

Gender matters: Experiences and consequences of digital dating abuse victimization in adolescent dating relationships.

Digital dating abuse (DDA) behaviors include the use of digital media to monitor, control, threaten, harass, pressure, or coerce a dating partner. In this study, 703 high school students reported on the frequency of DDA victimization, whether they were upset by these incidents, and how they responded. Results suggest that although both girls and boys experienced DDA at similar rates of frequency (with the exception of sexual coercion), girls reported that they were more upset by these behaviors. Girls also expressed more negative emotional responses to DDA victimization than boys. Although DDA is potentially harmful for all youth, gender matters. These findings suggest that the experience and consequences of DDA may be particularly detrimental for girls.

Snooping and Sexting: Digital Media as a Context for Dating Aggression and Abuse Among College Students.

Digital dating abuse (DDA) is a pattern of behaviors that control, pressure, or threaten a dating partner using a cell phone or the Internet. A survey of 365 college students was conducted, finding that digital monitoring behaviors were especially common. There were no gender differences in number of DDA behaviors experienced, but women reported more negative hypothetical reactions to sexual messaging than men. DDA was associated with measures of physical, sexual, and psychological dating violence. Results suggest that digital media are a context for potentially harmful dating behaviors, and the experience of DDA may differ by gender for sexual behaviors.