Heterogeneity in College Student’s Technology-Facilitated Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration Occurring Post-Breakup: A Latent Profile Analysis

Abstract

Technology-facilitated intimate partner violence (T-IPV), including social media surveillance (SMS) and cyber dating abuse (CDA), are increasingly common post-breakup experiences among college students. Although a large body of research has focused on identifying risk factors for both types of T-IPV, perpetrators of T-IPV may differ in their pattern of risk factors. Using the I3 model as a guiding framework, the current study sought to identify typologies of college students engaging in post-breakup SMS and CDA. Specifically, 710 college students’ responses on self-report measures were examined for similarities in known risk factors, namely attachment anxiety, impulse control difficulties, lack of emotion regulation strategies, intolerance of uncertainty, distress tolerance, and problematic alcohol use. Three distinct perpetrator profiles emerged with attachment anxiety, alcohol use, and intolerance of uncertainty presenting as distinguishing features. Problematic alcohol use was evident in the moderate and high levels of SMS and CDA perpetration profiles. Contrary to what was expected, there appeared to be little variability in emotional regulation and impulse control abilities across the three profiles such that individuals belonging to low and high perpetration profiles did not differ in the degree to which they were able to control their impulses or access emotion regulation strategies. Results highlight the potential importance of tailoring interventions, while reducing transdiagnostic risk factors, to account for the heterogeneity in risk factors among T-IPV perpetrators.

Bad Break-Up Behavior: Break-Up Characteristics, Emotional Dysregulation, and Alcohol Use as Risk Factors for Cyber Dating Abuse Among Sexual Orientation Diverse College Students

“…Breaking-up is a common occurrence among college students, with the postbreak-up period being a vulnerable time for engaging in problematic and potentially harmful relationship behaviors including CDA (Dank et al, 2013;McMillan et al, 2023). Current research on CDA is growing although gaps in knowledge about risk factors, particularly for diverse student populations, remain.…”

“…Despite these concerning findings, little is known about the factors associated with increased risk for ex-partner CDA perpetration especially among SM populations. Emerging literature on other forms of dating abuse suggests that some risk factors, including emotional dysregulation and alcohol use, may be shared among SM and heterosexual populations (Brem et al, 2019;McMillan et al, 2023;Shorey et al, 2018); however, the degree to which these factors are equally associated with CDA for SM and heterosexual college students is understudied.…”

Same-day and next-day associations between relational factors and intimate partner violence in young adult couples.

“…Consistent with the previous research (Derrick et al, 2014; Derrick & Testa, 2017), analyses included each partner’s daily reports, regardless of partner agreement (e.g., partners may disagree whether perpetration occurred on a given day). Finally, all 60 days were included from both partners in analyses, regardless of reported relationship dissolution during the sampling period because IPV can still occur after a dating relationship has ended (Katz & Rich, 2015; McMillan et al, 2023).…”