Physical aggression, forced sex, and stalking victimization by a dating partner: an analysis of the National Violence Against Women Survey

This study used the National Violence Against Women Survey (NVAWS) of women and men to estimate noncohabitating dating violence prevalence by type (physical, forced sex, and stalking), associations between dating violence and other types of interpersonal violence across the lifespan, and association of dating violence with longer-term mental health including substance abuse. Among respondents aged 18 to 65, 8.3% of 6,790 women and 2.4% of 7,122 men experienced physical aggression, forced sex, or stalking victimization by a dating partner. Few (20.6% of women and 9.7% of men) reported more than one type of dating violence. Childhood physical aggression by a parent or guardian was strongly associated with subsequent dating violence risk for men and women. Dating violence (physical aggression specifically) was associated with current depressive symptoms, current therapeutic drug use (antidepressants, tranquilizers, or pain medications), and current recreation drug use for women. Implications for parents, survivors, health care, and service providers are discussed.     

Teens' and parents' perceived levels of helpfulness: An examination of suggested “things to say” to youth experiencing Teen Dating Violence

Teen Dating Violence (TDV) is a public health issue that has long lasting implications into adulthood. Making matters more precarious is the scant evidenced-based information available to parents to help them respond to teens' reports of TDV exposure. This study examined parental and youth perceptions of the helpfulness and likelihood of use of suggested parental responses to dating violence. Results indicated that parents' potential supportive comments about “rights” and “whose fault” were viewed as the most helpful and likely to be used. The least approved statements were connected to parents' threatening punishment. The most endorsed comments provide information without undermining the teens' self-esteem and offer insight about how parents can promote more helpful dialogs about teens' experiences with dating violence.     

Attitudes affecting physical dating violence perpetration and victimization: findings from adolescents in a high-risk urban community

This study examines the associations between attitudes supporting physical dating violence against boys hitting girls and girls hitting boys and experiences with physical dating violence perpetration and victimization among youth in a high-risk community. Cross-sectional logistic regression analyses are based on data from the Youth Violence Survey, conducted in 2004, and administered to more than 80% of public school students in grades 7, 9, 11, and 12 (N = 4,131) in an urban school district. Findings show that attitudes supporting physical dating violence against boys and girls are significantly associated with physical dating violence perpetration and victimization. Prevention programs that seek to reduce physical dating violence among adolescents may benefit from including sex-specific attitude modification as part of a comprehensive violence prevention approach.     

Adapting dating violence prevention to francophone Switzerland: a story of intra-western cultural differences

Dating violence prevention programs, which originated in the United States, are beginning to be implemented elsewhere. This article presents the first adaptation of a violence prevention program for a European culture, Francophone Switzerland. A U.S. dating violence prevention program, Safe Dates (Foshee & Langwick, 1994), was reviewed in 19 youth and 4 professional focus groups. The most fundamental program concepts--"dating" and "violence"--are not the same in Switzerland and the United States. Swiss youth were not very focused on establishing monogamous romantic relationships, and there is no ready translation for "dating." Violence has not become the focus of a social movement in Switzerland to the same extent that it has in the United States, and distinctions among terms such as "dating violence" and "domestic violence" are not well known. Psychoeducational approaches are also less common in the Swiss context. As the movement to prevent violence extends worldwide, these issues need greater consideration.     

Examining intergenerational violence: violent role modeling or weak parental controls?

Family violence research has uncovered a positive relationship between parental violence and children's later involvement in intimate violence. In a similar vein, criminology's social control theory suggests that weak or absent parental controls are associated with a variety of delinquent acts. Little research, however, investigates the link between parental violence, parental controls, and dating violence. This article asks two research questions: How is inter-parental violence associated with parent-child attachments, monitoring, adolescent dating, attitudes toward violence, and dating violence? And second, are there independent and interactive effects of inter-parental violence, and parental controls on dating violence offending and attitudes towards violence? Dating violence offending is significantly associated with witnessed inter-parental violence, high dating frequency, and low parental monitoring. Attitudes towards violence are associated with witnessed inter-parental violence, lower parental attachment, and the interaction of witnessed inter-parental violence and parental attachment. The implications for role modeling and social control theory are discussed.     

Dating Relationship Dynamics,Mental Health,and Dating Victimization: A Longitudinal Path Analysis

The purpose of this study was to assess the longitudinal association between adolescent dating relationship dynamics (measures of intimacy and problem dynamics), mental health, and physical and/or sexual victimization by a dating partner. Gender‐stratified analyses were conducted in a sample of 261 adolescents, ages 10–18 at baseline, interviewed in three annual waves (2013–2015) of the nationally representative Survey on Teen Relationships and Intimate Violence (STRiV). Among male daters, better mental health at baseline was negatively associated with problem dynamics at follow‐up, and aspects of problem dynamics at baseline predicted worse mental health at follow‐up. However, unexpectedly, aspects of relationship intimacy at baseline were also negatively associated with mental health at follow‐up. Male daters’ victimization did not mediate longitudinal measures of mental health or of relationship dynamics, but did predict worse mental health at follow‐up. Among female daters, we found no longitudinal associations between mental health and intimacy or problem relationship dynamics, in either direction. However, victimization mediated aspects of female daters’ reported relationship dynamics. Dating violence prevention efforts should reflect that adolescent females reporting controlling behaviors and feelings of passionate love may be at increased risk for victimization. Positive youth development efforts should attend to the bidirectional associations of mental health and dating relationship dynamics over time, particularly for male adolescents.     

An Explanatory Model of Dating Violence Risk Factors in Spanish Adolescents

Dating violence is a serious public health issue that needs further understanding in terms of risk factors that may be involved in it. The main goal of this study was to test a mediational model of dating violence risk factors. The sample was composed of 477 secondary and college students from Spain (59% females). A dynamic developmental explanatory model considering aggressiveness, insecure attachment, interparental conflict, and peer dating violence was tested using a multigroup structural equation model. Aggressiveness partially mediated the relation between anxious attachment and dating violence and fully mediated the association between interparental conflict resolution and dating violence. Furthermore, perceived peer dating violence was a direct predictor of dating violence. Implications for prevention and intervention plans are discussed.     

Interaction Patterns in Adolescent Romantic Relationships: A Typological Analysis

While several studies in adolescents have addressed issues related to romantic relationships and dating violence, there is a limited understanding of their interaction patterns. This study aims to document interactions in conflict situations by identifying profiles of adolescent romantic relationships. Qualitative analysis based on the dimensions of the Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems was used to investigate the interaction task of 40 dyads. A typological analysis revealed four profiles: (1) rigid, (2) entangled, (3) hampered, and (4) balanced. Results highlight the diversity of romantic experiences and offer a better understanding of the intricacies of different interaction profiles. Dating violence prevention efforts and programs promoting harmonious and egalitarian romantic relationships could benefit from the insights of the identified profiles.     

Mexican American and European American Adolescents' Dating Experiences across the Ecosystem: Implications for Healthy Relationships within an Ecodevelopmental Framework

Dating health interventions that target the complex, multi-systemic spheres in which adolescents experience their first romantic relationships are required. This study utilizes an ecodevelopmental approach to better understand Mexican American and European American youths' perceptions of how peers, parents, school, and the media act both independently and collectively to affect their dating lives, also elucidating how such systems are at times in conflict. Seventy-five middle adolescents participated in focus groups divided by gender and ethnicity to uncover differences and similarities within and across groups. Findings underscore the importance and widespread effects of romantic relationships for adolescents' social development and the need for intervention programs that target multiple points of intervention while attending to mesosystemic conflicts across systems.     

Help-seeking and help-offering for teen dating violence among acculturating Mexican American adolescents

Help-seeking sources, motivations, and barriers concerning teen dating violence are rarely co-examined alongside help-offering processes and messages, and both are understudied among minority youth populations. This study sought the perspectives of Mexican American adolescents (ages 15 to 17) concerning their preferences and experiences with both help-seeking and help-offering. Twenty focus groups (N = 64 adolescents) were divided by gender and by acculturation level to allow for group comparisons. Friends and supportive family members were primary sources of help, although adolescents voiced a number of barriers to help-seeking. The most prominent barrier was fear they would be told to leave the relationship, an anticipated message that aligned with their tendency to tell others to do so. Help-seeking was viewed as a weakness, and help-offering was reserved for friends that asked for it. Recommendations for programs and practice with youth include promoting culturally and gender attuned teen dating violence services that emphasize confidentiality, and working at the family, peer, and school levels to foster healthy relationships.     

Dating and Sexuality among Minority Adolescents with Disabilities: An Application of Sociocultural Theory

Adolescents with disabilities, American Indians, Hispanics, and African Americans are more likely to experience victimization and pregnancy as teens. This study explored ethnic and racial minority youth with disabilities’ dating and sexual experiences from the perspectives of social workers using Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. Thirteen in-depth interviews were conducted with master’s degree–holding high school social work practitioners. Social workers described family beliefs and practices, socioeconomic status, special education, historical influences, and resiliency as aspects of adolescents’ lives that impacted their dating and sexuality. Social workers’ dialogue concerning family beliefs and attitudes toward abusive relationships were interpreted as internally oriented signs used by adolescents with disabilities to navigate their dating and sexuality. Socioeconomic status, family practices, and special education were interpreted as externally oriented meditational tools. Social workers reported that many adolescents experienced a history of violence, but that some adolescents adapted their cultural heritage by creating new values for themselves and engaged in healthier dating and sexual behaviors than their peers. Finally, although social workers were a source of support to adolescents with disabilities, they were also at times a portal for ethnocentric discourse.     

The role of social support in the psychological well-being of African American girls who experience dating violence victimization

The goals of this study were to test the relationship between dating violence victimization (i.e., verbal, emotional, and physical abuse) and psychological well-being (i.e., depressive symptomatology, self-esteem, and body image) among 522 African American girls, and to determine whether social support acted as a buffer of negative effects (moderator) or as an intervening factor (mediator) in the relationship between dating violence victimization and psychological well-being. Results from structural equation modeling indicated that dating violence victimization was associated with negative psychological outcomes. Although social support did not moderate this relationship, it served as a mediator of the relationship between dating violence victimization and psychological well-being. Dating violence programs for African American girls should consider how to incorporate family, church, and other networks in the community to foster support, and allow adolescent girls to discuss their abusive experiences in a nonblaming environment. If programs are able to buoy girls who experience dating violence, then they may be able to ameliorate the associated negative psychological sequelae.     

Developing “whole school” bystander interventions: The role of school-settings in influencing adolescents responses to dating violence and bullying

Bystander intervention programs have been introduced as innovative strategies to empower teens to intervene proactively when they witness bullying and dating violence (TDV) in their social environments. While there is promising research on the individual-level factors that influence students' willingness to intervene, there has been limited investigation on how teens' school environments encourage proactive responses. Through analysis of focus group data, this study revealed that teens are reluctant to employ bystander behaviors in any capacity. Some of the school-level factors that influenced their willingness to intervene include: trusting relationships with teachers; the perception that school personnel, rather than students, have more expertise to respond effectively; school environments that were tolerant of dating abuse; and ineffective school policies. Implications for creating “whole-school” responses to bullying and TDV will be discussed.     

Longitudinal Mediators of Relations Between Family Violence and Adolescent Dating Aggression Perpetration

Few longitudinal studies have examined the pathways through which family violence leads to dating aggression. In the current study the authors used 3 waves of data obtained from 8th‐ and 9th‐grade adolescents (N = 1,965) to examine the hypotheses that the prospective relationship between witnessing family violence and directly experiencing violence and physical dating aggression perpetration is mediated by 3 constructs: (a) normative beliefs about dating aggression (norms), (b) anger dysregulation, and (c) depression. Results from cross‐lagged regression models suggest that the relationship between having been hit by an adult and dating aggression is mediated by changes in norms and anger dysregulation, but not depression. No evidence of indirect effects from witnessing family violence to dating aggression was found through any of the proposed mediators. Taken together, the findings suggest that anger dysregulation and normative beliefs are potential targets for dating abuse prevention efforts aimed at youth who have directly experienced violence.     

Dating Infidelity in Turkish Couples: The Role of Attitudes and Intentions

Studies on dating infidelity have mostly been carried out in individualistic, Western cultures and have tended to investigate either attitudes or intentions toward infidelity in isolation from each other. The current study therefore investigated dating infidelity in a more collectivist, predominantly Muslim culture. Informed by the theory of planned behavior, it tested intentions as a potential mechanism that might account for the association between attitudes toward infidelity and reported infidelity. In doing so, the role of gender and infidelity history was also investigated in regard to attitudes and intentions toward infidelity. A sample of 420 college students (292 women) completed the Turkish versions of the Attitudes Towards Infidelity Scale and the Intentions Towards Infidelity Scale. A 2 (gender) × 2 (infidelity history: yes, no) multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed main effects but no interaction effect. Men compared to women and cheaters compared to noncheaters reported more favorable attitudes and intentions toward infidelity. Moreover, intentions toward infidelity fully and partly mediated the association between attitudes toward infidelity and infidelity for women and men, respectively. Findings are interpreted in light of dating infidelity research, with a focus on universal and culturally specific aspects. Recommendations are made for future research.     

Gewalt als Reaktion auf Anerkennungsdefizite?

Violence between adolescents is primarily a male phenomenon. For this reason, the analysis of violent behavior focuses on 4.213 male adolescents from three different backgrounds: adolescents of Turkish descent, late migrants from Russia and Poland (Aussiedler) and native Germans. They all are attending schools (10th grade) in Northrhine-Westfalia, Germany. The data have been provided by the Youth-Survey 2001 of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research on Conflict and Violence (IKG). The theoretical framework is provided by the theory of disintegration developed at the IKG. In comparison to Germans, Turkish adolescents show a higher rate of violence. The bivariate effect of Turkish descent on violent behavior can in multivariate logistic regression analysis partly be explained by a lack of recognition at the institutional and at the socio-structural dimensions of integration: In comparison to Germans, Turkish adolescents experience more discrimination, both in their daily life and in their school career. Those German adolescents and late migrants who suffer from a comparable degree of discrimination show similar patterns of violent behavior. Lack of recognition at the socio-emotional dimension (i.e. the relationship with the parents) have a smaller effect on violent behavior. In sum, especially the accumulation of deficits at different dimensions of integration in Germany heightens the risk for violent action.     

The Role of Acceptance of Violence Beliefs and Social Information Processing on Dating Violence Perpetration

This study's main objective was to explore whether beliefs legitimizing dating violence predict dysfunctional social information processing (SIP) when adolescents deal with ambiguous dating situations, and whether this more proximal cognitive processing acts as a mediator between acceptance of violence beliefs and dating violence perpetration. Participants were 855 high school students who completed self‐report measures at three time points, with a 1‐year interval between them. SIP did not act as a mediator, but the emergence of anger emotions in dating conflict situations, along with aggression‐justifying beliefs, were revealed as essential in explaining dating violence. Previous aggression also explained a subsequent higher anticipation of positive consequences for aggressive acts. We discuss the implications for prevention and treatment strategies with adolescents.     

The role of fathers in reducing dating violence victimization and sexual risk behaviors among a national sample of Black adolescents

PurposeStructural equation modeling (SEM) was used to explore the impact of father-figures' involvement on reducing both dating violence and sexual risk among a national sample of Black American youth well as the possible mediating effect of dating violence on the relationship between father figure involvement and sexual risk behaviors.MethodsTo explore this phenomenon, sexually active Black adolescents between the ages of 13–21 with a romantic partner in the previous 18 months were selected (N = 422) from wave II of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.ResultsThe analyses indicated that overall, perceived closeness to father figures reduced dating violence victimization among Black youth. When separated by gender, our hypothesis for male respondents was supported indicating that perceived closeness with their father figures resulted in a reduction in dating violence. However, the same hypothesis was not supported for female respondents. On the other hand, perceived closeness to father figures resulted in lower sexual risk behaviors for girls.ConclusionGiven the study's findings, researchers, practitioners, and policy makers should consider the importance of the father–child relationship in reducing problem behaviors among Black adolescents. In particular, emphasis should be given to the quality of the father–child relationship rather than general father involvement in reducing dating violence victimization and risky sexual behavior among sexually experienced Black adolescents.     

Can Johnson's Typology of Adult Partner Violence Apply to Teen Dating Violence?

The authors examined the applicability of Johnson's typology of adult intimate partner violence to female and male youth's reports of teen dating violence. A total of 5,647 youth from 10 schools participated in the survey, 3,745 of whom reported currently being in a dating relationship or having been in one during the prior year (52% female, 74% White). Using hierarchical cluster analysis to classify youth into high‐control versus no‐/low‐control violent experiences, the authors found that Johnson's typology provides a workable framework for examining the violent experiences of dating teens. For the one third of youth in violent relationships, the most common type of violence perpetrated was situational couple violence (86% for females and 80% for males), followed by intimate terrorism (7% for females and 11% for males). Six percent of females and males reported using violent resistance in their relationships, and 1% of females and 4% of males reported mutual violent control