Year
2025
Season
Fall
Paper Type
Master's Thesis
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree Name
Master of Science in Communication Management (MS)
Department
Communication
NACO controlled Corporate Body
University of North Florida. School of Communication
Committee Chairperson
Dr. Rachel Riggs Achorn
Second Advisor
Dr. Sydney Brammer
Third Advisor
Dr. Chunsik Lee
Department Chair
Dr. John Parmelee
Abstract
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) can happen to anyone and is considered a common occurrence in the United States (U.S. Department of Justice, 2025). Social media platforms have allowed individuals to post about their IPV experiences, but such posts can be met with negative comments that are not beneficial to the survivor. This study explores how social media posts regarding IPV affect an individuals’ mental and physical health through a quasi-experimental design. Three out of the four groups of participants were exposed to a mock Instagram post that included the same caption and photo for a supportive, unsupportive, and neutral condition. The positive condition had comments that supported the survivor; the negative had comments that did not support the survivor, and the neutral had comments that neither supported nor lacked support for the survivor. The fourth and final group was a control group that was exposed to a contest for a vacation getaway. There were no significant correlations between past experience of IPV, stimulus group, and mental or physical health. However, qualitatively, participants expressed the importance of IPV posts, the disadvantages of posting about IPV, and the potential for alcoholism to fuel IPV.
Suggested Citation
Lynn, Joanna, "Exploring the connections between social media posts about intimate partner violence and their influence on women’s physical and mental health" (2025). UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 1389.
https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/etd/1389
Included in
Health Communication Commons, Interpersonal and Small Group Communication Commons, Social Media Commons