Psychology Research and Behavior Management

Gender-Based Violence from Adolescence to Adulthood: Psychological, Social, and Developmental Perspectives across Offline and Online Contexts

Psychology Research and Behavior Management is pleased to announce a new Article Collection that addresses gender-based violence from adolescence to adulthood, drawing on psychological, clinical, social, and developmental perspectives.

Gender-based violence is a complex phenomenon that can take physical, psychological, sexual, and other forms and can occur in different contexts. Traditionally, gender-based violence was conceptualized as the subordination and control of women by men, but it is increasingly understood from a broader perspective. Gender-based violence affects people of all ages, including boys, men, girls, and women. It is directed at individuals because of their gender or gender identity, or because their behaviors, roles, or self-expression are perceived as inconsistent with prevailing gender norms. What distinguishes gender-based violence from other harmful behaviors is its relationship to gender and gendered norms and expectations. With the rise of digital technologies, gender-based violence has also extended into digital environments, where it may take the form of harassment, humiliation, controlling behaviors, technology-facilitated sexual violence, or the non-consensual sharing of intimate content. These acts may constitute gender-based violence when they are related to gender or used to reinforce or enforce gender norms and expectations. Digital environments have also made forms of this violence that were once normalized and largely unnoticed more visible and easier to spread. In both offline and online contexts, this violence is embedded in interpersonal relationships as well as in broader group and social dynamics that may reinforce or challenge gender norms and expectations.

Adolescence is a particularly relevant stage for studying gender-based violence. During adolescence, young people develop their identity, reshape their interpersonal relationships, and internalize gender norms, while pressure to conform to gender expectations can be especially salient. Digital interactions have also become central to how adolescents socialize and relate to one another. Understanding this violence requires considering individual characteristics as well as the influence of peers, family, school, community, and digital environments. Exposure to gender-based violence during this period can have important consequences for the mental health and psychological well-being of girls, boys, and gender-diverse youth, and these effects may persist into adulthood. A developmental perspective on this period allows researchers to examine how experiences, attitudes, and behaviors related to gender-based violence emerge and evolve, and whether they persist into adulthood. Peers, families, schools, and communities can sustain or challenge the gender norms associated with this violence, and bystanders and institutions influence how it is addressed.

This Article Collection welcomes both empirical and theoretical contributions that seek to advance understanding of gender-based violence from adolescence to adulthood, drawing on psychological, clinical, social, and developmental perspectives. We particularly welcome research on the psychological, clinical, and behavioral consequences of gender-based violence for all those affected, including boys and men. We also welcome studies on how experiences, risk factors, and developmental trajectories vary by gender and age, as well as research on prevention, intervention, and the role of new technologies. Contributions that connect different levels of analysis or adopt interdisciplinary approaches are also encouraged.

Subtopics of interest include:

1. Antecedents, risk factors, and protective factors associated with gender-based violence (offline and online).
2. Gender-based violence in intimate and former intimate relationships from adolescence to adulthood (offline and online).
3. Online gender-based violence, including harassment, humiliation, and controlling behaviors.
4. Technology-facilitated sexual violence and the non-consensual sharing of intimate content as forms of gender-based violence.
5. Gender norms, stereotypes, and identity in offline and digital contexts, including violence related to perceived departures from gender norms.
6. Victimization experiences and their psychological and mental health consequences across genders.
7. Perpetration and bystander involvement: the role of gender norms and peer dynamics in normalizing or challenging this violence.
8. Longitudinal studies and developmental trajectories from adolescence to adulthood.
9. Evidence-based prevention and intervention approaches, including psychological and multilevel programs.
10. The use of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies for the prevention and detection of online gender-based violence.

Keywords: gender-based violence; adolescence and adulthood; psychological well-being and mental health; prevention and intervention; technology-facilitated violence

­­All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo a full peer-review; the Guest Advisor for this Collection will not be handling the manuscripts (unless they are an Editorial Board member).

Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript.

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is 09 July 2027.

Please contact Thalia Geiger at thalia.geiger@taylorandfrancis.com  with any questions or requests for discount codes relating to this Article Collection.

Meet the Guest Advisors

Dr. María del Carmen Martínez Monteagudo

María Carmen Martínez-Monteagudo is an Associate Professor (Profesora Titular) of Developmental and Educational Psychology at the University of Alicante, Spain. She holds a PhD in Psychology and has published extensively in high-impact international journals, such as Aggression and Violent Behavior, Current Psychology, and Sage Open. Her research primarily addresses school aggression, cyberbullying profiles, and psychological distress among adolescent populations. Her recent work focuses on psychometric validation and the analysis of anxiety and stress to improve educational health and social safety.

Dr. Jesús Chacón-Chaparro

Jesús Chacón-Chaparro holds a PhD in Educational Research (Cum Laude) and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology at the University of Alicante, Spain. His current research focuses on school coexistence, the prevention of bullying and cyberbullying, and gender-based violence within social networks. Furthermore, he investigates the socio-educational impact of generative Artificial Intelligence on teacher training. His work aims to foster safer digital environments for adolescents through evidence-based prevention strategies and the forecasting of social behaviors in technological ecosystems.