P091 - Technological-facilitated dating victimization among Portuguese adolescents: Prevalence and ecological correlates

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Abstract

Background. Technological-facilitated dating victimization (TFDV) describes a pattern of abusive and harmful technology-facilitated behaviors exerted by one current and/or former partner over the other: humiliation, threats, monitoring/control, and sexual coercion. Objectives. This cross-sectional study aimed to: (a) determine the prevalence of victimization; (b) and identify correlates within the multiple levels of the social ecology: individual (demographic, health, and behavioral), interpersonal (intimate, peers, and family), and school/community (safety, support, and norms), contrasting the victims with the non-violence group. Method. A sample of 1855 adolescents, aged 12–18 years, from 25 schools in Portugal’s northern and central regions participated in a web-based research protocol. Data management. Among these, 713 adolescents who met the inclusion criteria were retained for analysis. These criteria involved having dated within the last 12 months, lacking missing information, not being multivariate outliers, and not admitting to being only perpetrators. Results. The descriptive statistics indicated that 46.6% reported experiencing TFDV. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that being from an ethnic minority, engaging in risky behaviors online (individual-correlates), participating in consensual sexting, having less social support from peers, experiencing five or more adverse childhood experiences (interpersonal-correlates), and engaging in less proactive norms to prevent TFDV (school/community-correlates) were linked to a higher likelihood of TFDV. Conclusion. Collectively, the results indicate several levels within the social ecology, where situational modifications could be implemented to prevent TFDV.
Keywords: adolescents, technology-facilitated dating victimization, socioecological model

Authors

• Maria Vale, Psychology Research Centre, School of Psychology, University of Minho

• Marlene Matos, Psychology Research Centre, School of Psychology, University of Minho