A significant part of an adolescent's day includes the use of technology, such as cell phone calls, instant messaging, and posts to social networking sites. Although studies have documented the benefits of technology use, there are significant downsides as well. For example, recent studies have shown that adolescents use technology to harass and abuse others, including dating partners. However, questions remain on how technology use and dating violence intersect at different stages in the couple's relationship and whether this intersection is different for boys and girls. This article begins to fill these gaps by presenting the findings from focus groups with 39 high school aged adolescents, all of whom had experienced a problematic relationship in the past year. Results showed that adolescents used technology to initiate and dissolve dating relationships, often with text messages or posts to social networking sites. Technology use also caused jealousy, and it was used to monitor and isolate partners from others. Gender differences in the use of technology are highlighted. Finally, recommendations for prevention programs for adolescents and parents are discussed.

No abstract

Among the college-age population, social media and other forms of electronic communication have become commonplace. This population is also considered at high risk for dating violence experiences; however, the intersection of electronic use and dating violence has only begun to be explored with this age group. This study sought to add to the understanding of technology use in dating relationships by examining electronic dating violence (EDV), as well as in-person dating violence and mental health symptoms. For the study, 330 students were asked to report their experiences of EDV and in-person dating violence victimization as well as any symptoms of depression and anxiety. An exploratory factor analysis was used to better understand the measurement of EDV, and three subscales were determined: indirect, direct, and physical/sexual electronic victimization. For women, indirect and direct EDV victimization predicted depression, while only direct EDV predicted anxiety. For men, indirect EDV predicted depression. With in-person victimization, emotional aggression predicted depression and anxiety for men and women. Findings indicate a connection between EDV and mental health symptoms, and that these relationships vary by gender. Results highlight the importance of further EDV research as well as the development of intervention and prevention programming for this population.

Background:Most individuals undergoing elective surgery expect to discontinue opioid use after surgery, but many do not. Modifiable risk factors including psychosocial factors are associated with poor postsurgical outcomes. We wanted to know whether pain catastrophizing is specifically associated with postsurgical opioid and health-care use.Methods:This was a longitudinal cohort study of trial participants undergoing elective spine (lumbar or cervical) or lower-extremity (hip or knee osteoarthritis) surgery between 2015 and 2018. Primary and secondary outcomes were 12-month postsurgical days’ supply of opioids and surgery-related health-care utilization, respectively. Self-reported and medical record data included presurgical Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) scores, surgical success expectations, opioid use, and pain interference duration.Results:Complete outcomes were analyzed for 240 participants with a median age of 42 years (34% were female, and 56% were active-duty military service members). In the multivariable generalized additive model, greater presurgical days’ supply of opioids (F = 17.23, p < 0.001), higher pain catastrophizing (F = 1.89, p = 0.004), spine versus lower-extremity surgery (coefficient estimate = 1.66 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.50 to 2.82]; p = 0.005), and female relative to male sex (coefficient estimate = −1.25 [95% CI, −2.38 to −0.12]; p = 0.03) were associated with greater 12-month postsurgical days’ supply of opioids. Presurgical opioid days’ supply (chi-square = 111.95; p < 0.001), pain catastrophizing (chi-square = 96.06; p < 0.001), and lower extremity surgery (coefficient estimate = −0.17 [95% CI, −0.24 to −0.11]; p < 0.001), in addition to age (chi-square = 344.60; p < 0.001), expected recovery after surgery (chi-square = 54.44; p < 0.001), active-duty status (coefficient estimate = 0.58 [95% CI, 0.49 to 0.67]; p < 0.001), and pain interference duration (chi-square = 43.47; p < 0.001) were associated with greater health-care utilization.Conclusions:Greater presurgical days’ supply of opioids and pain catastrophizing accounted for greater postsurgical days’ supply of opioids and health-care utilization. Consideration of several modifiable factors provides an opportunity to improve postsurgical outcomes.Level of Evidence:Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Servicewomen enhance the U.S. Military fighting force by bringing diverse perspectives, collaborative and creative problem-solving skills for global peace and security, and innovative, adaptive talent as leaders. Despite servicewomen integrating into combat units over the past decade, a number of barriers remain related to inclusion, promotion, and quality of life, particularly for marginalized women. To eliminate inequities experienced by servicewomen, leaders across all levels of the military play a key role in supporting the successful integration of servicewomen, cultivating an environment of belonging, and guarding against toxicity, which will result in optimized performance and readiness for all servicemembers in defense of the Nation. Herein, we review the original gaps related to leadership and peer behaviors identified by the 2014 Women in Combat Symposium, provide updates in the literature, address the topics that arose at the 2021 Women in Combat Symposium, and finally, outline the remaining barriers and challenges to the successful integration of female servicemembers.