Graduation Semester and Year
Summer 2026
Language
English
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work
Department
Social Work
First Advisor
Dr. Rachel Voth Schrag
Second Advisor
Dr. Poco Kernsmith
Third Advisor
Dr. Morgan PettyJohn
Fourth Advisor
Dr. Micki Washburn
Abstract
Teen dating violence (TDV) is a significant public health concern, especially with the constantly evolving state of social media which shaping young people’s views on romantic relationships and relationship behaviors. While there is a lot of literature that aims at post-incident TDV interventions, and social media usage separately, there is less on the educational interventions addressing TDV in a social media context with a focus on educating the youth at an early age. The present study employs Social Learning theory framework and uses a two-phase qualitative research design. The first phase is the scoping review which explored the current literature addressing TDV and social media educational interventions. Semi-structured interviews incorporated emerging adults’ experiences and perspectives of TDV educational interventions that by retrospectively reflecting on them (N=12). Finally, the study triangulated the findings from both data sources. The main findings from the scoping review revealed that social media was generally integrated into broader curricula, rather than serving as a central focus. Findings also revealed inconsistent incorporation of youth feedback and a predominance of school and community-based interventions. Reflexive thematic analysis of the semi-structured interviews with emerging adult participants resulted in the development of the following themes: a) Social Media and Family influences on romantic relationships perceptions b) Reflection of Educational Intervention Content and c) Varying levels of engagement and attention. Triangulation showcased both overlap as well as differences across the two data. The study findings ultimately suggest that early prevention efforts and education should focus on promoting healthy relationships behaviors in online contexts.
Keywords
Teen dating violence, Social Media, Adolescents, Youth, Educational Interventions
Disciplines
Social Work
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Raval, Minjaal, "Educating for Safety: Understanding and Strengthening Educational Interventions for Social Media–Related Teen Dating Violence." (2026). Social Work Dissertations. 6.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/socialwork_dissertations2/6