(PS4-D100) The Role of Rumination on the Association Between Cyber Sexual IPV Victimization and Symptoms of Depression and Alcohol Use in College-students

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health concern, particularly among young adults, who are also typically college students. While the adverse effects of traditional IPV are well-documented, cyber IPV has received limited attention (Melander & Marganski, 2020). Specifically, behaviors such as sharing sexual images of a partner with others or pressuring a partner to send sexual pictures has a detrimental impact on individuals mental health (Bates, 2017). However, lesser is known about the mechanism that increases the chances of detrimental mental health outcomes among victims of cyber sexual IPV. In this sense, rumination has been associated with higher symptoms of depression (Whisman et al., 2020) and alcohol use (Wolitzky-Taylor, 2021). Interestingly, rumination is also a central factor in mental health among individual exposed to trauma (Kelly et al., 2019).This study examines the impact of rumination on the relationship between cyber sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) and symptoms of depression and alcohol use among college students. The study included a sample of 325 college students aged 18 to 28 from a University in South Texas, with most identifying as Hispanic (n = 282, 87%). The results of mediation analysis using Mplus 8.4 show that individuals with higher levels of cyber sexual IPV tend to report more rumination (β = .19, p < .001), which, in turn, increases the likelihood of experiencing symptoms of depression (β = .25, p < .001; a*b, β = .09, [95% CI = .05 to .14]) and alcohol use (β = .14, p < .001; a*b, β = .02, [95% CI = .01 to .04]). This study highlights the significant impact of cyber sexual IPV on college students. Findings may inform treatment and intervention strategies on targeting rumination among victim of cyber sexual IPV. Additionally, preventive and informative campaigns may inform about impact of these behaviors and educate in the use of technology.