Past Victimization, Emotional Regulation and Cyber Dating Abuse Perpetration among Young Adults

Abstract

Cyber dating abuse perpetration has become very common among young adults in Pakistan. Grounded in the framework of cyberbullying and cyber harassment, the research seeks to understand how the perception of anonymity in digital spaces may embolden individuals to engage in abusive behaviors. Furthermore, the study investigated how past victimization experiences affects the likelihood of cyber dating abuse perpetration and investigates the role of emotional regulation deficits in increasing these tendencies. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between past victimization, emotional regulation and cyber dating abuse perpetration among young adults and to find out the gender differences of cyber dating abuse perpetration. Through non-probability purposive sampling of 195 young adults with an age range of 19-35 years (M=23.94, SD=4.05) were taken. The Emotional Regulation Scale and Cyber Dating Abuse Questionnaire (victimization and perpetration) were used to assess the sample. Pearson product moment correlation, multiple linear regression analysis and independent sample t-test were run to test the hypotheses. The results showed positive relationship between past victimization and cyber dating abuse perpetration among young adults. Further, it was found that emotional regulation was the negative predictor of cyber dating abuse perpetration.  The implementation of culturally sensitive prevention and intervention measures is crucial in prevailing against cyber dating abuse perpetration, as it takes into consideration variations in social norms, communication styles, and perspectives on technology and relationships.