Abstract
Objective: Cyber dating violence (CDV) is prevalent among emerging adults and could lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. However, limited research has been conducted on potential mitigating (or exacerbating) factors, such as the use of cognitive emotion regulation strategies (CER). The present study examined whether CER strategies mediate the relationship between CDV and PTSD. Participants: Among a sample of 598 college students, the present study focuses on those who reported past-year CDV (56%; N = 335). Methods: An online survey was completed by college students to assess CDV, CER, and PTSD using validated self-report measures. Results: CDV was bivariately correlated with PTSD symptoms as well as adaptive and maladaptive CER. Within a mediation model, maladaptive (but not adaptive) CER mediated the relationship between CDV and PTSD. Conclusions: CDV is common among college students. Targeting maladaptive CER, such as self-blame and rumination, could lead to reductions in PTSD symptoms.
Conflict of interest disclosure
The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of Towson University.
Data availability statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.