Cyber Dating Abuse: Conceptualization and Meta-analysis of Prevalence Rates

Abstract

In this study, a systematic review was carried out with the aim of analyzing the terms, definitions, dimensions, and prevalence rates of cyber dating abuse (CDA). After the analysis, the term cyber dating abuse is considered as the most appropriate and a complete definition of the construct is provided, along with the related dimensions. In order to synthesize the victimization prevalence rates of CDA, a meta-analysis of 16 studies was also carried out, including 14,235 participants, based on most suitable and most commonly used instrument for CDA measurement. This meta-analysis indicated an estimated global prevalence of CDA victimization of 47%, the prevalence for the control dimension being 63%, while for direct psychological aggression it was 24%. The results hardly showed differences between male and female victimization, which would support gender symmetry. Despite some limitations, this bibliographic and meta-analytic review sheds light on the field of CDA.