On- and offline psychological violence in young dyads: Prevalence, directionality, and justifications

The main objective is to analyze the directionality and frequency of different offline and online psychological violence in young heterosexual couples, and to examine the degree of agreement of the partners in their perception and motives of their use of violence. 230 young couples completed the study. The average age was 19.27 for women (SD = 1.73; range 15-24) and 20.51 for men (SD = 2.83; range 16-28). The results showed a high prevalence of violence with the exception of direct online aggression. Frequency was low, and agreement was generally acceptable. There were significant differences between the violence reported by each member. Both partners reported a low self-perception of victims or aggressors, and a low perception of their abusive online behaviors as a form of violence. The main justifications were the same for members. These results could help explain the relationship between adherence to romantic love myths and psychological violence.