Digital Violence in University Student Couples: England vs. Spain

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Criminology

Background:

• Digital violence, a form of abuse via information and communication technology (ICT), is a growing concern in romantic relationships.
• University students, as a demographic heavily engaged with ICT, are particularly vulnerable to experiencing or perpetrating digital violence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence of digital violence among university couples in England and Spain.
• To compare the rates of digital violence, traditional violence, and tolerance of digital violence between the two countries.
• To identify potential gender differences in the perpetration of digital violence.

Main Methods:

• A quantitative, comparative study involving 831 university students (303 from the UK, 528 from Spain).
• Administration of an ad hoc questionnaire designed to detect, measure, and analyze digital violence within affective-sexual relationships.
• Data analysis comparing prevalence rates, tolerance levels, and gender-specific perpetration between the English and Spanish samples.

Main Results:

• Over 15% of university couples reported experiencing digital violence, with slightly higher prevalence in the English sample (15.84%) compared to the Spanish sample (11.05%).
• Perception of digital violence was high in both samples (around 50%), while tolerance for digital violence was also significant (35.78% in England, 22.43% in Spain).
• Females in the English sample reported slightly higher perpetration of digital violence.

Conclusions:

• Digital violence is a significant issue within university relationships across different cultural contexts.
• Targeted awareness, training, and prevention programs are urgently needed within university settings to address digital violence.
• Further research may explore specific ICT platforms and behaviors contributing to digital violence in young couples.