Actor-Partner Associations of Emotion Regulation, Relationship Quality, and Cyber Dating Abuse among Heterosexual Emerging Adult Couples

Purpose

Cyber dating abuse (CDA) has proliferated alongside the use of electronic communication technologies. Research indicates that further understanding into the individual and relational correlates of CDA will aid efforts to prevent harmful cyber dating behaviors. This study examined whether positive or negative romantic relationship quality act as intermediary variables between emotion regulation and CDA perpetration within and between romantic partners.

Method

A sample of 65 emerging adult heterosexual couples completed self-report measures on emotion regulation, positive and negative romantic relationship quality, and CDA perpetration. Data were analyzed using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model for Mediation.

Results

The results revealed that a person’s higher emotion regulation indirectly related to their own lower CDA perpetration through their own lower negative relationship quality for both women and men. Results also showed that women’s and men’s own higher emotion regulation related to their partner’s lower reports on negative relationship quality which, in turn, related to that partner’s lower reports on CDA perpetration.

Conclusions

The findings provide insight into how a sense of emptiness in romantic relationships can explain the link between emotion regulation and CDA perpetration. Implications for preventing CDA through targeting emotion regulation skills and healthy romantic relationships are discussed.