Developmental Outcomes of Using Physical Violence Against Dates and Peers

School-based interventions TO Prevent Dating and Relationship Violence and Gender-Based Violence: STOP-DRV-GBV systematic review

Background

Schools have a duty of care to prevent violence between students but a significant amount of dating and relationship violence and gender-based violence occurs in schools. These are important public health issues with important longitudinal consequences for young people.

Objectives

To understand functioning and effectiveness of school-based interventions for the prevention of dating and relationship violence and gender-based violence.

Review methods

We undertook a mixed-methods systematic review to synthesise different types of evidence relating to school-based interventions for the prevention of dating and relationship violence and gender-based violence to understand if, how and in what ways these interventions are effective. We searched 21 databases and 2 trial registers and undertook forwards and backwards citation chasing, author contact and other supplementary search methods. Searches identified all literature published to June 2021. All screening was undertaken in duplicate and independently, and we quality appraised all included studies.

Results

We included 247 reports (68 outcome evaluations, 137 process evaluations). Synthesis of intervention components produced an intervention typology: single-component, curricular, multicomponent, and multilevel programmes. Synthesis of intervention theories suggested that interventions aiming to increase students' sense of school belonging and sense of safety in the school building could encourage increased learning of prosocial skills and increased prosocial peer norms, and so potentially reducing dating and relationship violence and gender-based violence. Synthesis of factors affecting delivery highlighted school organisation and leaders who believed in the importance of addressing dating and relationship violence/gender-based violence, along with time and resources to deliver the interventions. The ease with which the intervention could be delivered and modified was also important. Meta-analysis found stronger evidence for intervention effectiveness in reducing dating and relationship violence than for gender-based violence, with significant long-term impacts on dating and relationship violence victimisation and perpetration, and some evidence that interventions in high-income countries could be effective for reducing victimisation and perpetration of gender-based violence in the long-term. Impacts on knowledge and attitudes were primarily short-term. Network meta-analysis did not suggest superiority of any intervention type. Moderation evidence suggested interventions reduced dating and relationship violence perpetration in boys more than girls, but reduced gender-based violence perpetration more in girls. Metaregression by intervention component did not explain heterogeneity in effectiveness, but qualitative comparative analysis suggested that reducing perpetration was important to reducing victimisation, and that perpetration could be reduced via focus on interpersonal skills, guided practice and (for gender-based violence) implementation of social structural components.

Limitations

Despite an exhaustive search, trials may have been missed and risk of publication bias was high for several analyses.

Conclusions

This is the most comprehensive systematic review of school-based interventions for dating and relationship violence and gender-based violence to date. It is clear that the prevention of dating and relationship violence and gender-based violence in schools will require longer-term investment to show benefit.

Future work

Future research is needed to understand why intervention effectiveness appears stronger for dating and relationship violence than gender-based violence.

Study registration

The study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42020190463.

Funding

This award was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Public Health Research programme (NIHR award ref: NIHR130144) and is published in full in Public Health Research; Vol. 12, No. 3. See the NIHR Funding and Awards website for further award information.

Long-term Adverse Outcomes Associated With Teen Dating Violence: A Systematic Review

CONTEXT

Evidence suggests that teen dating violence (TDV) is associated with long-term adverse outcomes, but these associations have not been systematically assessed.

OBJECTIVES

To conduct a systematic review of the longitudinal associations between TDV and negative outcomes, including mental and physical health, reoccurrence of violence in intimate relationships, and high-risk behaviors (substance use and sexual behaviors).

DATA SOURCES

Peer-reviewed articles published in English were searched in PsycINFO/Eric/PsycArticles, PubMed, and Web of Science database from inception to November 2022.

STUDY SELECTION

Prospective studies that assessed TDV during adolescence, had a follow-up of at least ≥1 year, and evaluated the associations of TDV with health, violence in romantic intimate relationships, or risk behaviors were included.

DATA EXTRACTION

Study characteristics, baseline data, and follow-up outcomes were extracted from included studies.

RESULTS

Thirty-eight studies involving 23 unique samples were analyzed. Findings showed that TDV in adolescence was associated with future teen dating and intimate partner violence in adulthood. Studies also indicated that TDV was longitudinally associated with increasing high-risk behaviors (i.e., marijuana and alcohol use) and poor mental health outcomes (particularly for victimization). There was unclear evidence on the longitudinal link between TDV and suicidal attempts. Significant associations between TDV and negative outcomes were reported more frequently among females compared with males.

LIMITATIONS

Length of follow-up varied across studies.

CONCLUSIONS

Dating violence in adolescence may represent a risk factor for a wide range of long-term outcomes. Female adolescents reporting TDV may be at higher risk of adverse outcomes compared with males.

School-based interventions for preventing dating and relationship violence and gender-based violence: A systematic review and synthesis of theories of change

School-based interventions for preventing dating and relationship violence (DRV) and gender-based violence (GBV) are an important way of attempting to prevent and reduce the significant amount of DRV and GBV that occurs in schools. A theoretical understanding of how these interventions are likely to cause change is essential for developing and evaluating effectiveness, so developing an overarching theory of change for school-based interventions to prevent DRV and GBV was the first step in our systematic review. Theoretical data were synthesised from 68 outcome evaluations using methods common to qualitative synthesis. Specifically, we used a meta-ethnographic approach to develop a line-of-argument for an overarching theory of change and Markham and Aveyard's (2003, Social Science & Medicine, 56, 1209) theory of human functioning and school organisation as a framework for structuring the concepts. The overall theory of change generated was that by strengthening relationships between and among staff and students, between the classroom and the wider school, and between schools and communities, and by increasing students' sense of belonging with student-centred learning opportunities, schools would encourage student commitment to the school and its values, prosocial behaviour and avoidance of violence and aggression. The theory of human functioning informed our understanding of the mechanisms of action but from our analysis we found that it required refinement to address the importance of context and student agency.

Association between binge eating and physical violence perpetration among U.S. college students

BACKGROUND

To date, no known research has explored the link between binge eating and physical violence perpetration despite overlapping psychological constructs that underpin these behaviors (i.e., emotion regulation difficulties, impulsivity). Therefore, this study aimed to determine the association between binge eating and self-reported physical violence perpetration.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data from four survey years (2016-2020) of the national (U.S.) Healthy Minds Study (N = 6210) were analyzed. Unadjusted (Independent samples t test) and adjusted (logistic regression) analyses were conducted to determine the associations between binge eating in the past four weeks and violence perpetration in the past 12 months, while adjusting for potential confounders.

RESULTS

The unadjusted mean number of days of binge eating was significantly higher among participants who reported physical violence perpetration (M = 2.6, SD = 5.2) compared to those who did not (M = 1.8, SD = 3.7). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that each additional day of binge eating was associated with 5% higher odds (95% confidence interval 1.02-1.09) of self-reported physical violence perpetration, while adjusting for potential confounders.

CONCLUSIONS

Results from this study are the first known to identify an association between binge eating and physical violence perpetration among U.S. college students. Findings are supported by the potential mechanistic overlap of emotion regulation and impulsivity associated with both binge eating and violence perpetration, underscoring the need for more research.

Predictive Associations Between Adolescent Profiles of Violent and Nonviolent Deviant Behavior With Convictions in Adulthood

This study examines how multivariate trajectory patterns of overt and relational peer and dating violence perpetration, alcohol use, and nonviolent deviant behavior during high school predict convictions in adulthood. Adolescent data are from an accelerated cohort design study that spanned four waves in 2003-2005. In 2019, conviction records were obtained for a random subsample of 1,579 individuals from the original study. We identified latent classes that were jointly characterized by distinct behavioral trajectories and adult conviction status, and described the demographic and psychosocial profiles of each class. The best-fitting model comprised four trajectory classes: Low Deviance (44%), Moderate Stable Deviance (40%), Increasing Deviance (8%), and Dating Violence Perpetrators (8%). Adolescents whose deviance increased during adolescence had substantially higher risk of convictions, including violent convictions, than all other groups. Classes were differentiated by gender, household structure, parental education, school bonding, grades, emotional dysregulation, sensation-seeking, family conflict, and prosocial values. The Increasing Deviance class was predominantly male, had an elevated probability of coming from a single-parent household and of having parents with low education, but values on psychosocial indicators were not extreme. Dating Violence Perpetrators were also more likely to come from a single-parent household, but their parents tended to have more education. This group was the most extreme on several psychosocial indicators that indicate low school and family bonds, and poor emotional regulation. The implications of these patterns in relation to interactional and strain theories, theories of cognitive maturation, and theories of social bonds and social control are discussed.

Reflection of nursing students violence tendencies on care behaviors

PURPOSE

Although violence is a preventable phenomenon, whose negative effects may be reduced, it should be analyzed with a holistic approach to determine its possible effects on caring behaviors, which constitute the basis of the profession of nursing. This study aims to reveal the reflections of the tendency to violence among the nursing students on their caring behavior.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A survey was conducted within a convenient sample of 292 nursing students. Personal Information Form, Tendency to Violence Scale, and the Caring Behaviors Inventory (CBI-24) were used for data collection.

FINDINGS

There was a negative and moderate relationship between the tendency to violence and the scores obtained from the CBI-24 and its subscales. Simple linear regression analysis revealed that tendency to violence explained 10% and had a significant effect on caring behaviors (β = -0.328, p < .001).

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Tendency to violence among the nursing students might be determined before their graduation and the students with such tendencies might be closely monitored and supported to reduce these tendencies.

Dating violence, violence in social networks, anxiety and depression in nursing degree students: A cross-sectional study

AIM

To determine the prevalence and risk factors for dating violence and the correlations between dating violence and violence in social networks, anxiety and depression among nursing students.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional and correlational study.

METHODS

This study was conducted with nursing degree students at Spanish university during May 2021. A total of 248 nursing students completed an online survey. The online survey included sociodemographic variables, the Conflict in Adolescent Dating Relationships Inventory, the Social Network Violence Scale and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Chi-squared test, Pearson's correlation and logistic regression were used.

RESULTS

Of the participants, 13.3% were men and 86.7% were women. A total of 53.2% had experienced and/or perpetrated dating violence. About violence in social networks, 22.2% of the participants had perpetrated it, and 20.2% had been victims of it. Strong correlations were found between experiencing and perpetrating dating violence. Significant associated factors were cohabitation with a partner, alcohol consumption, socioeconomic status and history of dating violence.

CONCLUSIONS

Dating violence is a serious problem given its high prevalence among the surveyed nursing students, who, as future health professionals, must know how to recognize and react to possible cases of abuse.

IMPACT

The study results add to international literature that men and women university nursing students are equally susceptible to intimate partner violence and report similar prevalence of dating violence. Also, dating violence is correlated with increased levels of anxiety and depression. It seems to be necessary to implement training programmes that help minimize the problem and identify possible cases.

What goes around comes around: The loop of physical teen dating violence perpetration among Turkish adolescents

Compared to Western literature, little is known about teen dating violence perpetration (DVP) in Turkey. One risk factor of physical teen DVP may lie within teens' witnessing interparental physical violence perpetration and subsequent accepting attitudes toward physical partner violence as a risk factor. Informed by the intergenerational transmission (IGT) of violence theory, we investigated attitudes toward physical partner violence as a likely mechanism that might account for the association between witnessing interparental physical violence perpetration and physical teen DVP. In a sample of 242 Turkish teens, the prevalence of teen DVP was 32.0% for females and 28.4% for males, with no significant gender difference. The results of the moderated mediation analyses confirmed the hypothesized model for men only. IGT of violence theory offers good guidance in understanding the etiology of physical teen DVP. For prevention practices, accepting attitudes toward physical partner violence seems a hurdle that needs to be breached.

The interplay of parenting style and family rules about video games on subsequent fighting behavior

Due to ongoing concerns about adolescent interpersonal aggression and debates surrounding violent media, this study assesses the potential impacts of parental mediation and parenting style on mature video game play and fighting behaviors using a longitudinal, random-digit-dial survey of adolescents (N = 2722). By simultaneously considering fighting, M-rated video game play, parental restrictions on media use, parenting style, and important covariates, we aim to provide further nuance to existing work on risk and protective factors for interpersonal aggression. Our results show that parental restriction has a significant, linear relationship with later fighting, whereby higher restrictions on a child's M-rated video game play predict decreases in reported fighting behavior. Authoritative parenting, high in both warmth and supervisory attention, also relates to decreased levels of fighting compared to other styles. Parenting style also moderated the effects of restriction, such that restriction was not equally predictive of fighting behavior across all parenting styles. However, the association between restriction and fighting was similar for highly demanding parenting styles, suggesting that authoritative parenting is not inherently superior to authoritarian. The effects of restriction were significant despite controlling for multiple covariates. Parental restriction of media use may be an effective strategy for parents concerned about violent games. Given some limitations in our dataset, we call for continued study in this area.

Childhood Gender Nonconformity and Intimate Partner Violence in Adolescence and Young Adulthood

Childhood gender nonconformity has been associated with numerous adverse experiences, including peer bullying and homophobic violence. However, little is known about gender nonconformity in the context of intimate relationships, independent of sexual orientation. This study aimed to examine associations between childhood gender nonconformity and intimate partner violence (IPV) in adolescence and early adulthood. Using data from the 2007 wave of the U.S. Growing Up Today Study (N = 7,641, mean age = 22.8 years), we estimated risk ratios (RRs) for the association of gender nonconformity up to age 11 years and lifetime IPV victimization and perpetration. Models were adjusted for demographic characteristics, including sexual orientation identity. We assessed effect modification by gender and examined whether childhood abuse mediated the association between nonconformity and IPV. Males in the top decile of nonconformity were at elevated risk of IPV victimization (RR = 1.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.15, 1.71]) and IPV perpetration (RR = 2.34, 95% CI = 1.54, 3.56) compared with those below median nonconformity, adjusting for sexual orientation and demographic characteristics. There was no evidence of a similar association for females in the top decile of gender nonconformity. Childhood abuse did not mediate IPV disparities by gender nonconformity. We identify gender nonconformity as an important risk indicator for IPV victimization and perpetration among young adult males, independent of sexual orientation. Findings highlight the vulnerability of boys and men who do not conform to societal gender norms and the importance of studying gender expression as a determinant of violence. IPV prevention efforts may be improved with more explicit focus on socially constructed gender norms and support for diverse gender expressions. Further research into the pathways between nonconformity and IPV and in more diverse populations is needed to build a more comprehensive understanding of the unique experiences gender nonconforming youth face.

A Latent Class Analysis of Early Adolescent Peer and Dating Violence: Associations With Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety

Violence within peer and dating contexts is prevalent among early adolescents. Youth may be victims and/or aggressors and be involved in violence across multiple contexts, resulting in negative outcomes. This study identified patterns of perpetration and victimization for peer and dating violence, using a latent class analysis (LCA), and examined how different patterns of engaging in or experiencing violence among early adolescents were associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety. Participants included a sample of 508 racially and ethnically diverse youth (51% male) who had dated in the past 3 months. Youth were in the seventh grade within 37 schools and were primarily from economically disadvantaged communities across four sites in the United States. LCA identified three classes: (a) a low involvement in violence class, (b) a peer aggression and peer victimization class, and (c) a peer and dating violence class. Youth involved with multiple forms of violence displayed significantly higher levels of depressive and anxious symptoms than those with low involvement in violence. Study findings revealed the importance of understanding how peer and dating violence co-occur, and how different patterns of aggression and victimization were related to internalizing symptoms. Prevention efforts should address the intersection of victimization and perpetration in peer and dating contexts in potentially reducing internalizing symptoms among early adolescents.

The Effects of Two Community-Based Participatory Action Research Programs on Violence Outside of and in School Among Adolescents and Young Adults in a Latino Community

PURPOSE

Violence is the leading cause of death among adolescents and young adults in the Americas. Community-Based Participatory Action Research engaged youth and parents to develop and implement two interventions. A Violence Prevention Program (VPP) focused on risk factors for violence, and a Positive Youth Development Program (PYDP) focused on protective factors. Program effects on violence outside of and in school were assessed at 6 and 12 months.

METHODS

Both interventions included an 8-week internet-based program and an in-person youth summit. Participants were prospectively randomized twice, first to the VPP and a no-VPP control group and again to the PYDP and a no-PYDP control group. Participants self-reported violence outside of and in school through self-administered baseline surveys with repeat assessments at 6 and 12 months. Analysis of covariance models examined VPP and PYDP effects on violence.

RESULTS

The analysis sample was 86% Latino, 56% female, 36% aged 10-13 years, 45% aged 14-18, and 19% aged 19-23 years. Analysis of covariance models of violence outside of school demonstrated small program interaction effects at 6 months (partial eta² = .030; p = .007) and small VPP effects at 12 months (partial eta² = .023; p = .025). Models of violence in school demonstrated small PYDP effects at 6 months (partial eta² = .023; p = .018).

CONCLUSIONS

Community-Based Participatory Action Research engaging adolescents, young adults, and parents to address locally relevant health issues can have multiple benefits. In this study, a VPP had positive effects on violence outside of school at 12 months, and a PYDP had positive effects on violence in school at 6 months.

Effects of the Dating Matters® Comprehensive Prevention Model on Health- and Delinquency-Related Risk Behaviors in Middle School Youth: a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial

Teen dating violence (TDV) is associated with a variety of delinquent behaviors, such as theft, and health- and delinquency-related risk behaviors, including alcohol use, substance abuse, and weapon carrying. These behaviors may co-occur due to shared risk factors. Thus, comprehensive TDV-focused prevention programs may also impact these other risk behaviors. This study examined the effectiveness of CDC’s Dating Matters®: Strategies to Promote Healthy Teen Relationships (Dating Matters) comprehensive TDV prevention model compared to a standard-of-care condition on health- and delinquency-related risk behaviors among middle school students. Students (N = 3301; 53% female; 50% black, non-Hispanic; and 31% Hispanic) in 46 middle schools in four sites across the USA were surveyed twice yearly in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. A structural equation modeling framework with multiple imputation to account for missing data was utilized. On average over time, students receiving Dating Matters scored 9% lower on a measure of weapon carrying, 9% lower on a measure of alcohol and substance abuse, and 8% lower on a measure of delinquency by the end of middle school than students receiving an evidence-based standard-of-care TDV prevention program. Dating Matters demonstrated protective effects for most groups of students through the end of middle school. These results suggest that this comprehensive model is successful at preventing risk behaviors associated with TDV. clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01672541

Child-to-Parent Violence as an Intervening Variable in the Relationship between Inter-Parental Violence Exposure and Dating Violence

The exposure of adult children to inter-parental violence is an indirect form of victimization which has not been widely investigated in relation to its consequences in adulthood. The main goal of this study was to analyze predictors of dating violence based on an integrated model of intergenerational transmission of violence with the assessment of potential indirect effects of inter-parental violence exposure on dating violence through child-to-parent violence and sexism. A total of 847 college students participated in this study, ranging from 18 to 25 years of age. Inter-parental violence exposure plays a relevant role in dating violence, with indirect effects through child-to-parent violence and sexism. These results support social learning theory in explaining the intergenerational transmission of violence and indicate that further attention should be paid to children exposed to inter-parental violence. Intervention models to prevent the perpetration of dating violence should include the prevention of inter-parental violence exposure and child-to-parent violence.

Patterns of adverse childhood experiences and subsequent risk of interpersonal violence perpetration among men in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

BACKGROUND

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), including abuse and neglect, are consistently found to be predictors of perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV) and peer violence (PV) in adulthood. Children are often exposed to patterns of ongoing and/or multiple-type polyvictimization throughout the life course.

OBJECTIVES

To identify and characterize patterns of ACEs among men in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and to examine the relationship between these patterns and perpetration of intimate partner violence (IPV) and peer violence (PV) in adulthood.

METHODS

We used latent class analysis to identify respondents with similar patterns of ACEs. The analysis was conducted with a sample of 987 men.

RESULTS

We uncovered five distinct classes of men with specific patterns of ACEs. One consisted of nonvictims and four included various forms of polyvictimization. Men in the polyvictimization classes that included non-violent family dysfunction had significantly higher odds of perpetrating psychological IPV compared to the other three classes (AORs 2.33 and 3.04 compared to nonvictims). Men in the polyvictimization classes that included any sexual violence and/or non-violent family dysfunction had significantly higher odds of perpetrating PV compared to the other two classes (AORs 3.54, 6.10, and 7.42 compared to nonvictims).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that distinct patterns of exposure to ACEs among this population are differentially related to perpetration of IPV and PV in adulthood. These findings highlight the importance of child development interventions in low-and middle-income countries, both for the primary prevention of child adversity and for mitigation of the cognitive and emotional effects of ACEs.

Neighborhood violent crime and adolescent relationship aggression

Research has shown that neighborhoods play a role in the etiology of violence. However, few adolescent relationship aggression (ARA) studies have objective measures of violent neighborhoods. Drawing on a nationally representative sample of youth, this study examines the association between ARA and local levels of violent crime (measured using geocoded Uniform Crime Report data from each of the youths' residential neighborhoods). Study analyses are based on survey data from 723 youth (ages 10-18) in current or recent dating relationships (351 males and 372 females) in the Survey on Teen Relationships and Intimate Violence (STRiV), a national representative household panel survey exploring interpersonal violence and related aggression among adolescents. About 19% of the sample reported ARA victimization in their most recent dating relationship (ARA perpetration was 17%). Neighborhood violent crime in the study (males living in 86.9 and females 99.8) was slightly lower than the national average of 100. With a broad national sample, 40% non-Whites, hypotheses guided by theories of neighborhood influence were tested. The study did not find an association between neighborhood violent crime and ARA victimization and perpetration, controlling for key demographic factors. The results, for a broad range of high- and low-crime neighborhoods, suggest that neighborhood violence does not seem to affect individual rates of ARA. The results suggest the ARA victimization and perpetration are perhaps ubiquitous and found both in low and high violent crime neighborhoods, suggesting that addressing local violent crime rates alone does not seem to be a path to also reducing ARA.

Longitudinal Associations Between Bullying and Intimate Partner Violence Among Adolescents and Young Adults

This study assessed longitudinal associations between bullying and intimate partner violence (IPV) among adolescents and young adults in a U.S.-based cohort study. Participants (N = 5,279) reported past-year bullying when they were 14-20 years old and reported lifetime experiences of IPV when they were 20-27 years old. The results indicate that participants reporting being bullied more than twice were at elevated risk of IPV victimization compared to participants reporting no bullying victimization, adjusting for bullying perpetration and covariates. Participants reporting bullying others once or more were at elevated risk of IPV perpetration compared to participants reporting no bullying perpetration, adjusting for bullying victimization and covariates. There was no evidence that the associations differed by gender. Results suggest that adolescents carry forward behaviors from their peer relationships to their dating relationships. Findings may have implications for school-based programs, which should explicitly integrate IPV prevention into bullying prevention efforts.

The Family Context and Adolescent Dating Violence: A Latent Class Analysis of Family Relationships and Parenting Behaviors

Adolescent dating violence is a persistent public health concern, impacting many youths during their initial and formative relationships during middle school. Despite theoretical and empirical studies highlighting the essential role of family relationship dynamics and parenting practices in relation to youth violence, substantially less research has focused on associations between these factors and rates of adolescent dating violence. The current study examined aspects of the family context in relation to dating violence outcomes among a racially and ethnically diverse sample of middle school students from economically disadvantaged communities, a group of adolescents at a high risk for exposure to risk factors for dating violence. Participants included 495 adolescents (66% male; 63% African American). Data were collected at the beginning of sixth grade and three subsequent spring waves through eighth grade. The current study identified patterns of family factors using a latent class analysis and examined these classes in relation to dating violence and dating violence norms. Three classes emerged: a positive family context with mixed messages about parental support for fighting and nonviolence (42%), an average family context with consistent parental support for nonviolent responses to conflict (24%), and a poor family context with parental support for fighting (34%). The classes with average and positive family contexts showed the lowest levels of dating violence and dating violence norms. These findings support the development and integration of family context factors into adolescent dating violence prevention programs, especially within high-burden contexts where families may be more likely to endorse mixed messages about how to handle conflict and youth may be at a higher risk for dating violence outcomes.

Consequences of Involvement in Distinct Patterns of Adolescent Peer and Dating Violence

Typological theoretical perspectives suggest that the consequences of involvement in peer and dating violence may depend on the particular pattern of violent behaviors that youth experience and/or engage in. Yet few studies have examined whether distinct patterns of dating and peer violence involvement differentially predict developmental outcomes. Using two waves of data, the current study examined the prospective associations between distinct patterns of peer and dating aggression and victimization, identified using latent class analysis, and a range of potential developmental outcomes in a general population sample of adolescents in the 8th to 10th grades (n = 3068; 46% female, 58% White, 31% Black, 11% other race/ethnicity). The findings suggest that, compared to youth involved in other patterns of violence, youth involved in peer and dating violence as aggressors and victims are at greatest risk for negative sequelae, although results differed considerably for girls and boys and on the outcome variable and comparison groups being examined.

Dating violence perpetration and perceived parental support for fighting and nonviolent responses to conflict: An autoregressive cross-lagged model

INTRODUCTION

The current study examined longitudinal and bidirectional relationships between adolescent perceptions of parental support for fighting and nonviolent responses to conflict and dating violence perpetration. These relationships were examined among a sample of predominately African American youth from an economically disadvantaged urban neighborhood in the United States, a group of adolescents who may be at a high risk for dating violence and for receiving a mixture of parental support for how to respond in conflict situations.

METHOD

Participants were 1014 early adolescents (51% female, 91% African American) who were currently dating or had been recently dating. Adolescents completed measures on their perceptions of parental support for fighting and nonviolent responses to conflict, as well as dating violence perpetration.

RESULTS

Using an autoregressive cross-lagged path analysis across four time points, perceptions of parental support for fighting were inversely associated with changes in perceived parental support for nonviolent responses to conflict, but not with changes in dating violence over time. However, perceived parental support for nonviolent responses to conflict were inversely associated with changes in dating violence perpetration over time.

CONCLUSIONS

Although parents in high-burden communities may give a mixture of messages about how to handle conflict, encouraging parents to provide messages supporting nonviolent responses to conflict may protect youth from perpetrating violence within their dating relationships. These findings inform future research directions and dating violence prevention programs.

Neighborhood Concentrated Disadvantage and Dating Violence among Urban Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Neighborhood Social Processes

The link between relationship violence and aspects of neighborhood concentrated disadvantage (e.g., percent of unemployed adults, percent of families below poverty level), has been established. However, the literature examining neighborhood social processes, including informal social control and social cohesion, in relation to adolescent dating violence has shown mixed results with a limited theoretical foundation and methodology. Using a social disorganization theoretical framework, this study examined the mediating role of these neighborhood social processes in the relation between concentrated disadvantage and adolescent dating violence within an urban context. Participants included 605 adult residents in 30 census tracts and 203 adolescents from neighborhoods on the West and South sides of Chicago. Neighborhood-level concentrated disadvantage was measured via Census data, adult residents reported on neighborhood social processes, and youth reported on dating violence. Informal social control was negatively associated with dating violence, and social cohesion was positively associated with dating violence. A multilevel mediation model showed that concentrated disadvantage was related to higher levels of dating violence via lower levels of informal social control. These results extend social disorganization theory to dating violence within an urban context, while also highlighting the important role of neighborhood processes on relationship violence. Implications for research and intervention programming are discussed.

Bullying and HIV Risk Among High School Teenagers: The Mediating Role of Teen Dating Violence

BACKGROUND

Teen dating violence (TDV), bullying, and HIV risk behaviors are public health concerns that impact adolescents in the United States. National estimates reveal high rates of these risk behaviors among high school students. Based on theoretical and empirical evidence, we hypothesized that experiencing teen dating violence (sexual and physical) would mediate the impact of bullying on HIV risk.

METHODS

Data were from the 2013 National Youth Behavior Risk Surveillance Survey (YRBSS) among students who answered questions on bullying, TDV, and HIV risk (N = 13,571). The YRBSS is conducted biennially among 9th- to 12th-grade students nationally. We used multiple regression analysis and Hayes' SPSS process macro to examine the 2 study hypotheses.

RESULTS

Findings from bivariate analysis suggest an association between bullying and HIV risk. The study also found associations between physical, sexual teen dating violence and HIV risk. Results also indicate that both physical and sexual teen dating violence mediate the association between bullying and HIV risk.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that multidimensional interventions should be developed to reduce the rate of teen dating violence and combat bullying as a preventative method for HIV risk among high school students.

Serious physical violence among Arab-Palestinian adolescents: The role of exposure to neighborhood violence, perceived ethnic discrimination, normative beliefs, and, parental communication

This study adopted a social-ecological perspective to exploring perpetration of serious physical violence against others among Arab-Palestinian adolescents. A total of 3178 adolescents (aged 13-18) completed anonymous, structured, self-report questionnaire, which included selected items from several instruments that measured variables relating to the constructs examined in the study. We explored the association of individual characteristics (age, gender, normative beliefs about violence, and perceived ethnic discrimination), familial characteristics (parent-adolescent communication and socioeconomic status), and contextual characteristics (exposure to community violence in the neighborhood) with perpetration of serious physical violence against others. A moderation-mediation model was tested, and 28.4% of the adolescents reported that they had perpetrated serious physical violence against others at least once during the month preceding the study. The findings also show that exposure of youth to violence in their neighborhood correlated significantly and positively with their perpetration of serious physical violence against others. A similar trend was revealed with respect to personal perceptions of ethnic discrimination. These correlations were mediated by the adolescents' normative beliefs about violence. Furthermore, the correlation of direct exposure to violence in the neighborhood and normative beliefs about violence with perpetration of serious physical violence against others was stronger among adolescents who have poor communication with their parents than among those who have strong parental communication.