Previous work demonstrates an intergenerational transmission of intimate partner violence (IPV); individuals who witness parental IPV are more likely to become perpetrators or victims of IPV in their own relationships. Given the high prevalence of technology-facilitated IPV (TFIPV), particularly among youth, I pose the question: Does the intergenerational transmission of IPV extend to TFIPV?

I use data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), a contemporary survey of a birth cohort of young adults. I focus on 1,033 young adults in the Year-22 FFCWS survey who reported that they were in a serious relationship, engaged, or married. In earlier FFCWS survey waves, mothers reported whether their partner sometimes or often (or never) slapped or kicked them, hit them with a fist or object, and/or tried to make them have unwanted sex. At Year-22, young adults reported experiences of TFIPV, specifically whether their partner pressured them to “sext,” to respond quickly to texts or calls, or to share their location; shared their naked photos with other people or logged into their social media or email without permission; or posted a mean public message about them on social media.

Logistic regression results show no significant associations between mother-reported IPV and a binary outcome indicating “any experience of TFIPV.” However, there is evidence that mother-reported IPV is associated with higher odds of individual TFIPV experiences, specifically young adult reports that their partner logged into their accounts without permission (OR=1.6, 95% CI 1.0-2.5) and that their partner posted a mean public message about them (OR=3.8, 95% CI 1.2-11.6). This study suggests that the intergenerational transmission of IPV may indeed include TFIPV. Effective interventions designed especially for TFIPV may help to interrupt this harmful cycle.