Relationship Characteristics Associated with Teen Dating Violence Perpetration

Teen dating violence (TDV) is unstable across dating relationships, suggesting that characteristics of the relationship could be related to TDV. Few empirical studies have examined these links. This study examined associations between relationship characteristics and TDV perpetration among teens and sex differences in those associations. Relationship characteristics examined include tactics used to manipulate partners, ways of responding to relationship problems, relationship duration, exclusivity of the relationship, age difference between partners, and history of sexual intercourse with partner. Data were drawn from 667 teens in a current relationship (62.5% female and 81.4% White) enrolled in the 11th or 12th grade in 14 public schools in a rural U.S. state. Bivariate and multivariable regression analyses examined proposed associations. A total of 30.1% and 8.2% of teens reported controlling and physical TDV perpetration, respectively. In multivariable models, frequent use of manipulation tactics increased risk for controlling or physical TDV perpetration. Teens dating a partner 2 or more years younger were at significantly increased risk for both controlling and physical perpetration. A significant interaction emerged between sex and exit or neglect accommodation for physical TDV. Characteristics of a current dating relationship play an important role in determining risk for controlling and physical TDV perpetration.     

Examining the Prevalence and Predictors of Injury From Adolescent Dating Violence

Medical needs of youth who experience dating violence are not well understood because of limited past research examining the prevalence and predictors of injuries and medical help seeking. To address these gaps, the current study described the prevalence and predictors of injuries from dating violence from grades 8 through 12 in a large sample of youth. Results indicate that one third to one half of youth who experienced any physical and/or sexual dating violence also sustained an injury. Prevalence of injury was highest in the 8th grade and was significantly higher for females than for males across grades 8 through 11. Youth who experienced greater amounts of violent victimization in their relationships (physical, sexual, and psychological) were at the highest risk for injury. Results also suggest that victims at highest risk for injury are girls, White youth, those experiencing multiple types of violence, and those who also engage in perpetration. Given the high prevalence of injury among youth who report dating violence, healthcare professionals may be in a unique position to screen and counsel youth about dating violence. Because the highest prevalence of injury occurred before high school, prevention programs should start early and selected prevention may be used for youth at highest risk for injury.     

Differences in Sexual Behaviors and Teen Dating Violence among Black,Hispanic, and White Female Adolescents

We examined differences in sexual behaviors among White, Black, and Hispanic adolescent females exposed to dating or sexual violence (DSV) using the 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. We also examined the interaction effect of exposure to DSV and race or ethnicity on sexual behaviors. Sexual behaviors were significantly associated with both race or ethnicity and DSV; DSV was a stronger predictor of sexual behaviors than race or ethnicity; and the effect of DSV on condom use was more pronounced among Hispanic adolescents, whereas the effect of DSV on birth control use was more pronounced among both Black and Hispanic adolescents. Adolescent health programs should simultaneously address DSV and sexual risk reduction, with particular emphasis on birth control and condom use among ethnic minority populations.     

Dating Violence and African Immigrant Youth

Research documents a high prevalence of dating violence among U.S. youth. This violence is linked to a host of negative mental and physical health consequences and high-risk behaviors. African immigrants comprise about 3.9% of all immigrants in the United States and recent trends suggest this population is rapidly increasing. Despite this, limited research exists on dating violence among African immigrant youth. This article summarizes the literature on dating violence in Africa, then highlights the dearth of research on African immigrant youth. The literature suggests that African immigrant girls are in a uniquely vulnerable position that increases their risk for dating violence and other abuses, warranting our attention to the issue. Future research directions and service implications with this population are presented.     

Gender Differences in the Relations among Patriarchal Beliefs,Parenting, and Teen Relationship Violence in Mexican Adolescents

Teen relationship violence is a global phenomenon associated with adverse outcomes. As in other countries, teen relationship violence is of concern in Mexico. However, few studies have examined the risk and protective factors of teen relationship violence among Mexican adolescents. This study examined whether patriarchal beliefs and exposure to authoritarian parenting among Mexican adolescents are associated with perpetration and victimization of physical and verbal-emotional teen relationship violence. Two hundred and four students (15–18 years old) from Monterrey, Mexico, completed questionnaires. Hierarchical regression analyses controlling for age revealed that among girls, authoritarian parenting was associated with physical and verbal-emotional victimization and verbal-emotional violence perpetration. Among boys, higher endorsement of patriarchal beliefs was associated with lower reports of physical perpetration and physical victimization.     

Dating Violence Perpetration: The Predictive Roles of Maternally versus Paternally Perpetrated Childhood Abuse and Subsequent Dating Violence Attitudes and Behaviors

This study investigated both young men's and young women's perpetration of physical, sexual, and psychological forms of dating violence, examining predictors of violence including maternally or paternally perpetrated forms of various types of child maltreatment, as well as attitudes toward dating violence and dating violence victimization. Results of hierarchical linear regressions found that childhood experiences of maternal neglect predicted men's physical perpetration, and childhood sexual abuse predicted women's sexual perpetration and men's psychological perpetration. Further, positive attitudes toward dating violence predicted women's physical, psychological, and sexual perpetration, as well as men's sexual perpetration, and experiences of dating violence victimization were the strongest predictors of most forms of dating violence perpetration, particularly among women. Implications for future research and prevention initiatives are discussed.     

Males' Reactions to Participating in Research on Dating Violence Victimization and Childhood Abuse

Childhood abuse and dating violence victimization are prevalent and devastating problems. Although there has been an abundance of research on these topics in recent years, researchers and institutional review boards often struggle with determining whether asking respondents questions on previous violence will result in increased emotional distress or other negative research outcomes. Empirical data are therefore needed that examine the research reactions of individuals who participate in research on childhood abuse and dating violence. This study examined this topic among a sample of male college students (N?=?193). Results showed that victims of childhood sexual abuse had more negative emotional reactions and victims of physical dating violence had more negative perceived drawbacks to research participation than nonvictims. However, victims and nonvictims did not differ on positive research reactions. These findings suggest that there are few differences between victims and nonvictims on research reactions.     

MACI Personality Patterns and DSM-IV Symptomology in a Sample of Troubled Mexican-American Adolescents

Bivariate and multivariate correlation analyses were used to investigate personality trait variables and their relation to DSM-IV symptomology in a clinically-identified sample of 142 Mexican-American adolescents. Personality variables were measured with the Personality Style subscales of the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory. DSM-IV symptomology was assessed by four clinical subscales of the Adolescent Psychopathology Scale. Canonical correlation analysis revealed two independent and salient patterns of correlation between the personality variables and symptomology which together accounted for 86% of the variance. We conceptualized these patterns as outgoing conformity and egotistical unruliness. Results are discussed in terms of cross-cultural issues and implications for mental health services for minority youth.     

Campus Responses to Dating Violence and Sexual Assault: Information from University Representatives

Universities have an obligation to provide student victims with services that are easily accessible. This study focused on the provision of sexual assault and dating violence services of large, public 4-year institutions, as reported by university representatives. The sample included security officers from 45 universities who completed phone interviews between February and May 2013. Phone interviews consisted of 15 open-ended questions. The findings point to highly variable practices and services offered across campuses. The services most frequently reported by university representatives include counseling and police services. The findings also suggest that public 4-year institutions not only offer varied levels of services, but such services might not be readily available to student victims. Although many representatives identified underserved groups and suggestions for improvement, a sizable portion did not acknowledge any. Further, university representatives did not distinguish between services provided for dating violence and sexual assault.     

Acculturation,Stress, and Depressive Symptoms Among Korean Immigrants in the United States

Abstract

A sample of 157 Korean immigrants responded to measures of acculturation level, stress from acculturation, and depressive symptoms. The authors hypothesized that adaptive acculturation would depend on assimilation regarding social interactions and the host culture's language as well as on retention of a core identity, including values and traditions of the culture of origin. Consistent with the mediation hypothesis, acculturation, based on a factor representing language use and social relationships, was related to lower acculturative stress and, in turn, lower depression. However, there was no direct support for the integrative, or bicultural, strategy of acculturation. Stress did not mediate the effect of a 2nd acculturation factor, identity and tradition-based acculturation. Rather, this measure of acculturation was directly related to higher depression (i.e., immigrants reporting abandonment of Korean identity, traditions, and values scored higher for depression).     

Perceptions of Dating Violence Following a Sexualor Nonsexual Betrayal of Trust: Effects of Gender, Sexism, Acceptance of Rape Myths, and Vengeance Motivation

College womens (N = 220) and mens (N = 208) perceptions of violence following a betrayal by a romantic partner were studied in an independent groups design that varied gender of the participant, type of betrayal (sexual or nonsexual), and gender of the betrayed individual. Participants read one of four brief vignettes in which the betrayed person slapped his/her partner and made his/her lip bleed. Justification of this action was rated on 10 items. Factor analysis of these items indicated the presence of three factors for men and four for women. Both men and women indicated that hitting the partner, getting even, and being angry were more justifiable following a sexual betrayal. The hitting of a male partner by a betrayed woman was perceived as more justified than the hitting of a female partner by a betrayed man. In absolute terms, hitting and getting even by both women and men were generally viewed as unjustifiable, whereas being angry was viewed as justifiable. For both women and men, scores on the Vengeance Scale (Stuckless & Goranson, 1992) and Rape Myth Acceptance Scale (Lonsway & Fitzgerald, 1995) were related to getting even. For men, the Hostile Sexism Scale (Glick & Fiske, 2001) was related to getting even or being angry and breaking up. Results indicated that perceptions of reactions to betrayal are related to type of betrayal and to the dispositional characteristics of the perceiver.     

Family Functioning among Rural Teens and Caregivers: Interactive Influence on Teen Dating Violence

Multi-informant assessment of family functioning is considered best practice in research and clinical settings. However, in the area of teen dating violence, multi-informant assessment of family functioning has received limited attention. The current study investigated whether and to what extent caregiver and adolescent perceptions of family functioning interact in their influence on adolescent dating violence. Participants were 493 adolescents and their primary caregivers from a rural southeastern community in the United States. As hypothesized, a paired-samples t test showed that adolescents’ scores on the family functioning measure were significantly lower than their caregivers’ scores. Logistic regressions revealed that adolescents’ positive views of family functioning were significantly associated with a lower likelihood of dating violence victimization but not perpetration and that caregivers’ views on family functioning moderated the impact of adolescent-reported family functioning on both dating violence outcomes. Post hoc analyses showed that adolescents with negative perceptions of family environment were most likely to be victims and perpetrators of dating violence when their parents also reported more negative views of family environment. The article concludes with a discussion of how these findings can: (a) advance our understanding of the impact of family functioning on teen dating relationships and (b) inform practical efforts aimed at preventing dating aggression among teens.     

Effects of Abusive Parenting,Caretaker Arrests,and Deviant Behavior on Dating Violence Among Homeless Young Adults

Although dating violence is widespread among young adult homeless populations, its risk factors are poorly understood by scholars. To address this gap, this study uses a social learning theory to examine the effects of abusive parenting and caretaker arrests on dating violence among 172 homeless young adults. Results from path analyses revealed that child physical abuse and caretaker arrests were positively associated with engaging in a greater number of school fights, which, in turn, was strongly and positively correlated with participating in more deviant subsistence strategies (e.g., stealing) since being on the street. Young people who participated in a greater number of delinquent acts were more likely to report higher levels of dating violence. Study results highlight the extent of social learning within the lives of homeless young adults, which is evident prior to their leaving home and while they are on the street.     

Psychological Dating Violence Perpetration and Victimization: Trajectories From Middle to High School

Despite evidence documenting the negative consequences, psychological dating violence occurs frequently in adolescent dating relationships. No information exists on the trajectories that adolescents follow and their association to nonphysical peer violence. The sample comprised 624 randomly selected 6th graders. In yearly surveys from 6th through 12th grade, 550 of the 624 students reported dating at least twice during the 3 months prior to completing the survey. These students responded to questions about frequency of engagement in psychological dating violence perpetration and victimization. We used Proc TRAJ to identify developmental trajectories of behavior over time and generalized estimating equation models to examine the associations of the trajectories and peer aggression. Adolescents followed three distinct developmental trajectories related to psychological dating violence victimization and perpetration: low, increasing, and high. Based on the joint probabilities of victimization and perpetration, we identified four predominant groups: low victimization/low perpetration (LVLP; 36%), increasing victimization/increasing perpetration (40%), high victimization/high perpetration (HVHP; 15%), and increasing victimization/low perpetration (IVLP; 7%). The LVLP had significantly more boys and White students; the HVHP group had an even gender distribution and more African‐American students. For all groups, peer aggression decreased from Grade 6 to 12; students in the HVHP group reported the highest peer aggression, and students in the LVLP reported the lowest peer aggression. Findings suggest a strong, reciprocal relationship in the developmental trajectories of adolescents who experience and perpetrate psychological dating violence. Those highly engaged in these behaviors were also more likely to be violent toward peers. Aggr. Behav. 38:510‐520, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Impact of Social Support and Coping on Acculturation and Acculturative Stress of East Asian International Students

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of social support and coping on acculturation and acculturative stress of international students. The authors used hierarchical multiple regression analysis to study a sample of 232 East Asian international students. The results indicate that social support and coping were partial mediators on the relationship between acculturation and acculturative stress. Implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research are provided. El propósito de este estudio fue investigar los efectos del apoyo social y el afrontamiento en la aculturación y el estrés aculturativo de los estudiantes internacionales. Se estudió una muestra de 232 estudiantes internacionales de Asia Oriental usando un anaálisis de regresión múltiple jerárquica. Los resultados indican que el apoyo social y el afrontamiento fueron mediadores parciales en la relación entre aculturación y estrés aculturativo. Se proporcionan implicaciones, limitaciones y recomendaciones para investigaciones futuras.     

An Underserved Population and Untapped Resource: A Preliminary Study of Collegiate Sorority Response to Dating Violence

ABSTRACT

To what extent do national collegiate sororities have formal programs and policies addressing dating violence? Given that undergraduate women are at high risk for violence by a male partner, sororities represent an opportunity to reach large numbers of undergraduates as well as women in the community who are active in alumni chapters. Based on a telephone survey and review of organizational Web sites, study results suggest that collegiate sororities are an underserved population with regard to prevention, education, and outreach services and an untapped resource with regard to opportunities for community service. Suggestions for building collaboration between sororities and service providers to raise awareness, support victims, create safety planning, and develop resources are addressed.     

Emotion Regulation Difficulties Moderate the Association Between Heavy Episodic Drinking and Dating Violence Perpetration Among College Men

Because of high rates of heavy drinking and dating violence (psychological or physical aggression toward a dating partner) among college men, we examined whether emotion regulation difficulties moderated the association between heavy drinking and dating violence perpetration. One hundred and fifty-eight men were recruited from a large northwestern U.S. university between April 2014 and August 2014. Participants completed an online survey that assessed their emotion regulation difficulties as well as their past year history of heavy episodic drinking (HED; consuming 5+ drinks in 2 hr) and dating violence perpetration. Generalized linear models revealed that the positive association between HED and dating violence perpetration was stronger for men with greater impulse control difficulties and for those who reported limited access to emotion regulation strategies. In addition to continued efforts to reduce heavy drinking among college men, interventions targeting emotion regulation difficulties should be incorporated into standard dating violence intervention and prevention efforts to further reduce the likelihood of dating violence perpetration in this population.     

Adolescent Dating Violence: Application of a U.S. Primary Prevention Program in St. Lucia

The purpose of this study was to examine the Choose Respect dating violence prevention program (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006b , n.d.‐a) with secondary students in St. Lucia. Multivariate analysis of variance results indicated that the Choose Respect program had a positive influence on participants’ attitudes about control in relationships. Significant gender and school effects were found. Implications of these findings for primary prevention efforts targeting dating violence in St. Lucia and limitations of the study are discussed.     

Childhood Emotional Abuse and Young Adulthood Dating Violence: The Moderating Role of Stress Reactivity

Dating violence has been linked to past experiences of childhood emotional abuse; however, little research has explored how stress reactivity functions within interpersonal relationships to amplify or attenuate these associations. The present study investigated the moderating effects of cortisol stress reactivity on associations between retrospective self-reported childhood emotional abuse and later self-reported interpersonal violence in young adult dating relationships. The current sample consisted of 57 young adult heterosexual dating partners (46 females, 11 males) between the ages of 18 and 24. Salivary cortisol samples were collected before and after a stress task to measure stress reactivity. Moderation analyses were conducted through the PROCESS macro in SPSS version 22. The relation between childhood emotional abuse and dating violence varied depending on cortisol reactivity, such that the association between childhood emotional abuse and young adult dating violence was stronger for those who demonstrated low levels of cortisol reactivity. The association between childhood emotional abuse and dating violence was not significant for those who demonstrated high cortisol reactivity. Findings underscore the importance of studying physiological mechanisms that may confer risk in the relationship between child emotional abuse and later interpersonal consequences.