Does cyber dating abuse victimization predict next-day alcohol and cannabis use among college students?

Background and objectives: Cyber dating abuse (CDA) is prevalent on college campuses, with 43% of college students experiencing CDA each year. Yet, the potential impacts of CDA victimization on college students' health outcomes remain poorly understood. Informed by the self-medication hypothesis and longitudinal data linking dating abuse to substance use outcomes, the present study tested the hypothesis that CDA victimization positively associates with college students' next-day alcohol use (number of drinks consumed, odds of any drinking) and odds of cannabis use (yes/no). We also explored whether CDA's association with next-day substance use varied as a function of gender.

Methods: Daily data on alcohol use, cannabis use, and CDA victimization were collected across 60 consecutive days from 236 undergraduates who were in dating relationships (73.73% cisgender women).

Results: Multilevel modeling revealed gender differences. Among men, CDA victimization predicted next-day cannabis use (aOR = 7.34, p < .001), but negatively related to the number of drinks consumed the following day (B = -2.63, p < .001). Among women, CDA victimization did not relate to next-day cannabis or alcohol use. Regardless of gender, CDA victimization was unrelated to the odds of any drinking.

Discussion and conclusions: College men are more likely to use cannabis the day after experiencing CDA victimization relative to other days. Targeting CDA and related aftermath may benefit college-based substance use intervention.

Scientific significance: This is the first study to identify that cannabis use occurs subsequent to CDA victimization, which can inform college-based CDA and cannabis use prevention programming.