Bad Romance: Sex Differences in the Longitudinal Association Between Romantic Relationships and Deviant Behavior

Dating Violence Experiences Among Sex-Trafficking Youths in Juvenile Detention

Juvenile justice involvement is a risk factor for sex trafficking, as is teen dating violence (TDV). However, little is known about how TDV victimization correlates with sex-trafficking victimization among girls in juvenile detention. This study was conducted with 111 detained female minors from two Arizona juvenile detention centers. All female detainees were screened for sex-trafficking risk factors by a clinical staff member and completed a series of surveys about their life experiences and a dating violence history survey. Nearly half of the participants, 42.3% (n = 47), reported having experienced sex trafficking. Girls in juvenile detention who reported sex-trafficking victimization were significantly more likely to report higher scores on the TDV scale.

Desistance, Disengagement, and Deradicalization: A Cross-Field Comparison

This article provides a critical comparison of the present knowledge base on desistance from crime and current writings on disengagement and deradicalization from violent extremism. Underlying the comparison is the fundamental premise that while violent extremism is a particular and perhaps egregious form of crime, it is a form of crime nonetheless, meaning that violent extremist offenders are not beyond the remits of the desistance framework. As of yet, however, there have been few attempts to connect these two research domains in a systematic way. Against this background, the present article intends to trace the outlines of both bodies of knowledge so as to determine the degree of overlap between these two kindred literatures. The results of this integrative literature indicate that studies on criminal desistance and violent extremist disengagement echo the same basic mechanisms of change, but also that differences in context affect how these mechanisms take shape. In highlighting the implications for theory, the findings of this review illustrate, above all, how a closer association between these two fields of study enriches our understanding of both.

Prevalence of Romantic Experiences and Competencies Among 14 to 17 Year Olds: Implications for the Primary Care Setting

Using data from 600 adolescents (14-17 years old) from the 2015 National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior, we examined the prevalence and demographic correlates of adolescents' romantic activities (ie, group dating, dyadic dating, and relationship involvement) and their confidence in avoiding unwanted romantic experiences. Overall, 55.8% of adolescents had engaged in at least one romantic activity. More adolescents reported having gone on dyadic (42.1%) and group (37.3%) dates than had been involved in romantic relationships (32.9%). Age and gender were the most consistent correlates of each romantic activity. Each type of romantic activity becomes more common as adolescents mature. Female adolescents were less likely to report romantic activities. Approximately 25.7% of adolescents were not confident that they could turn down unwanted dates, and 34.3% were not confident that they could end a relationship they no longer wanted to be in. Clinicians can draw on our results when discussing romantic development with their adolescent patients.

The Influence of Romantic Relationships on Substance Use in Emerging Adulthood

The current work built on prior research showing aspects of romantic relationships, including relationship quality and partner substance use, influence individual risk for substance use during emerging adulthood. Analyses were based on a sample of males from the Pathways to Desistance Project (PDP) data. Romantic relationships were quantified with an aggregate measure of relationship quality and specific measures of relationship satisfaction, monitoring, and partner antisocial behavior. With a focus on emerging adulthood, the current work was centered on Waves 8 and 9 of the PDP data. Regression models tested the association between the relationship measures and alcohol intoxication, marijuana use, and hard drug use in the past year. Models considered both contemporaneous and longitudinal effects. Across the aspects of romantic relationships, monitoring and partner antisocial behavior had the most consistent association with substance use. The association between monitoring and substance use was strongest when longitudinal effects were tested among those in a relationship at both Waves 8 and 9. Peer antisocial behavior and prior substance use were also associated with substance use. Results show that romantic relationships have an important influence on substance use within a criminal justice involved sample.

Interpersonal Relationships as Protective and Risk Factors for Psychopathy: A Follow-up Study in Adolescent Offenders

Friendships and romantic relationships may function as protective and risk factors for psychopathic traits. To better understand potential causal associations, we investigated whether within-individual changes in relationship characteristics were related to changes in psychopathic traits over time. Data were derived from ten repeated measurements of the Pathways to Desistance longitudinal study of 1354 offending adolescents (14.3% female; 40.1% Black). Analyses were adjusted for age, gender, ethnicity, self-reported offending and living facilities. Relationships of high quality were associated with lower psychopathic traits, whereas antisocial behavior and antisocial influence in relationships were related to higher psychopathic traits. Within-individual analysis indicated that time-invariant individual characteristics did not confound these associations. The findings suggest that the quality and antisocial activities of interpersonal relationships can affect positively or negatively on the levels of psychopathy.

"Bad Romance": Links between Psychological and Physical Aggression and Relationship Functioning in Adolescent Couples

Assortative mating is an important issue in explaining antisocial, aggressive behavior. It is yet unclear, whether the similarity paradigm fully explains frequent displays of aggression in adolescents’ romantic relationships. In a sample of 194 romantic partner dyads, differences between female and male partners’ reports of aggression (psychological and physical) and different measures of relationship functioning (e.g., jealousy, conflicts, and the affiliative and romantic quality of the relationship) were assessed. A hierarchical cluster analysis identified five distinct subgroups of dyads based on male and female reports of psychological and physical aggression: nonaggressive couples, couples with higher perceived aggressiveness (both physical and psychological) by females, couples with higher aggressiveness perceived by males and mutually aggressive couples. A substantial number of non-aggressive dyads emerged. Of note was the high number of females showing one-sided aggression, which was, however, not countered by their partner. The mutually aggressive couples showed the least adaptive relationship functioning, with a lack of supportive, trusting relationship qualities, high conflict rates and high jealousy. The discussion focuses on the different functions of aggression in these early romantic relations, and the aggravating impact of mutual aggression on relationship functioning and its potential antisocial outcomes.