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Cyber Abuse in Romantic Relationships

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Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan

Abstract

Cyber forms of intimate partner violence involve the use of electronic methods such as email, text messaging, websites, apps, social media platforms, and GPS tracking units to carry out abuse toward romantic partners. Abusive acts can include mild forms of cyber aggression such as insulting, belittling, and swearing at a partner as well as more severe acts such as making threats, publicly embarrassing one’s partner, engaging in sexual coercion, and stalking. This chapter will summarize research on cyber abuse in teen, emerging adult, and adult romantic relationships, and it will review the interconnections between cyber abuse and other types of intimate partner violence. Various types of cyber abuse will be described including emotional abuse (e.g., name-calling); ignoring/exclusion (e.g., purposely ignoring communications from one’s partner); sexual abuse (e.g., pressuring one’s partner to take and send sexually explicit images); and intrusion/monitoring/stalking behaviors (e.g., making a partner text a picture to verify their current location or using GPS tracking units). Prevalence rates of cyber abuse and assessment methods will be reviewed. This chapter will also review potential risk factors for cyber abuse. Suggestions for the prevention of cyber abuse, safety tips for victims, and recommended directions for future research will be provided.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT, USA

    Penny A. Leisring

  2. Yale University Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA

    Danielle M. Farrell

  3. Global Psychiatric Epidemiology Group, Columbia University – New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA

    Daniela M. Scotto

Authors
  1. Penny A. Leisring
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  2. Danielle M. Farrell
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  3. Daniela M. Scotto
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Penny A. Leisring .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma, Alliant International University, San Diego, CA, USA

    Robert Geffner

  2. School of Health and Human Sciences, University of North Carolina at Greensbo, Greensboro, NC, USA

    Jacquelyn W. White

  3. Dept of Family and Community Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    L. Kevin Hamberger

  4. Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA

    Alan Rosenbaum

  5. Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Viola Vaughan-Eden

  6. Education and Research, Zero Abuse Project, St. Paul, MN, USA

    Victor I. Vieth

Section Editor information

  1. Consultant, Alexandria, VA, USA

    Glenna Tinney

  2. College of Arts and Sciences - Society, Culture, and Language, University of South Florida - St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

    Shelly M. Wagers

  3. Department of Psychology, University of South Alabama, Mobile, AL, USA

    Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling

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Leisring, P.A., Farrell, D.M., Scotto, D.M. (2019). Cyber Abuse in Romantic Relationships. In: Geffner, R., White, J.W., Hamberger, L.K., Rosenbaum, A., Vaughan-Eden, V., Vieth, V.I. (eds) Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62122-7_164-1

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