Cyber Dating Violence
Cyber dating violence (also called electronic dating violence) are acts of harassment, coercion, unwanted monitoring (including cyber stalking), and manipulation which occur through electronic means, including social networking sites, email, text, and instant messaging apps. I am interested in cyber dating violence given that it is a relatively new phenomena, as ubiquitous access to screens has occurred in the past decade; that there are interactions between normative social and emotional developmental changes and use of/exposure to electronics (both positive and negative); and that cyber dating violence is characteristically different from in-person forms of violence in several critical ways ways. First, unlike in-person violence, domains of cyber dating violence are not limited by geographic distance. Unlike disengagement strategies of 'walking away', being able to connect regardless of physical distance is one of the strengths (and thus under certain circumstances can pose a large risk) of the electornic space. Next, methods of disengaging are more complex and possibly challenging, as perpetrators can make multiple accounts and pose as other people . This can include posing as known associates of their victim, and/or making fake/anonymous accounts and acting like someone who isn't within their victim's social network. Even if an individual tries to block or disengage with a perpetrator's main account, they may continue to unknowingly interact with a perpetrator in online spaces. Third, electronic interactions are not limited to a time of day and can be present even when an adolescent would historically not be engaging with peers (e.g., dinner time, bedtime, during times that are normally relegated for sleep). Unlike limitations on when one might see friends or a dating partner, the majority of adolescents send at least one text message between the hours of 10pm and 6am. Finally, the boundaries of private and public space are not static but rather intersect in a way that is unique to the digital space. Unlike the ability to destroy a physical copy of a photo or even a video tape, words, pictures, audio, and video shared online exist forever. Even if an individual attempts to remove a file, a carbon trace of it persists in the online sphere.
Publications on Cyber Dating Violence/Electronic Dating Violence
Thulin, E.J., Zimmerman, M.A., Kusunoki, Y., Kernsmith, P.D., Smith-Darden, J., & Heinze, J.E. (2021). Electronic Teen Dating Violence Curves by Age. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. *Dissertation Paper 1
Thulin, E.J., Fleming, P., Kernsmith, P., Smith-Darden, J., & Heinze, J.E. (2020). Adolescent risk of dating violence and electronic dating abuse: A Latent class analysis. Journal of Youth and Adolescence.
Community Factors Predicting Intimate Partner Violence
Violence in intimate relationships (also known as intimate partner violence or IPV) is often studied relative to individual-level risk or protective factors. Yet, in line with the socio-ecological model, interpersonal relationships are influenced by a myriad of factors beyond the individuals within a relationship. Rather, one's community and the structures informing the community shape interactions. My research has examined community- and structural-level factors that are associated with (cross-sectionally) and predictive of (longitudinally) intimate partner violence.
Publications on Intimate Partner Violence
Thulin, E.J., Heinze, J.E., & Zimmerman, M.A. (2021). Adverse adolescent experiences and risk of adult intimate partner violence. American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Thulin, E.J., Heinze, J.E, & Zimmerman, M.A. (2021). Community norms and intimate partner violence beliefs across 51 countries. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
Thulin, E.J., Heinze, J.E., Kusunoki, Y., Hsieh, H.F., & Zimmerman, M.A. (2020). Perceived neighborhood characteristics and experiences of intimate partner violence – a Multi-Level analysis. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.