Sexting
Adolescents’ adverse family context and intimate partner violence: Mediating role of social media experience.
Open Access: No.
Abstract
The present study investigated the process by which family context shapes social media use and relationship violence. Qualtrics online panel data was self-reported by a representative sample of 18-year-old men and women (n = 702). Results show that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are significantly associated with youth feeling disconnected from parents. ACEs were also associated with higher-risk online behaviors (such as sexting and cyberbullying). In turn, cyberbullying victimization was associated with recent experiences of relationship violence. Parent-youth disconnectedness also contributed to less positive attitudes toward social media and hindered future-oriented thinking among youth. This lack of future orientation was directly associated with increased reports of relationship violence. Findings illustrate how childhood patterns of interpersonal difficulties can perpetuate into youth peer and romantic relationships. This is consistent with a toxic stress response where sources of strain, such as negative family or online experiences, can elicit negative emotions and affect, contributing to emotional, behavioral, or interpersonal problems.
Relevance
The findings of this study “are consistent with previous research evidencing a strong link between poor parent-child bonds that can transition into abusive family situations promoting future intimate relationship problems”. The study showed that sexting, as well as cyberbullying and intimate partner violence, was a “toxic stress response” to adverse childhood experiences (i.e., “parental disconnectedness, abuse and neglect”).
Citation
Terrell, A., Wickrama, T., Merten, M. J., & Becnel, J. (2023). Adolescents’ adverse family context and intimate partner violence: Mediating role of social media experience. Current Psychology, 42, 21979-21993. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-03160-5
