Low and Increasing Trajectories of Perpetration of Physical Dating Violence: 7-Year Associations with Suicidal Ideation, Weapons, and Substance Use

Cumulative Incidence of Physical and Sexual Dating Violence: Insights From A Long-term Longitudinal Study

Decades of inquiry on intimate partner violence show consistent results: violence is woefully common and psychologically and economically costly. Policy to prevent and effectively intervene upon such violence hinges upon comprehensive understanding of this phenomenon at a population level. The current study prospectively estimates the cumulative incidence of sexual and physical dating violence (DV) victimization/perpetration over a 12-year timeframe (2010-2021) using diverse participants assessed annually from age 15 to 26. Data are from Waves 1-13 of an ongoing longitudinal study. Since 2010 (except for 2018 and 2019), participants were assessed on past-year physical and sexual DV victimization and perpetration. Participants (n = 1,042; 56% female; Mage baseline = 15) were originally recruited from seven public high schools in southeast Texas. The sample consisted of Black/African American (30%), White (31%), Hispanic (31%), and Mixed/Other (8%) participants. Across 12 years of data collection, 27.3% experienced sexual DV victimization and 46.1% had experienced physical DV victimization by age 26. Further, 14.8% had perpetrated at least one act of sexual DV and 39.0% had perpetrated at least one act of physical DV against a partner by this age. A 12-year cumulative assessment of physical and sexual DV rendered prevalence estimates of both victimization and perpetration that exceeded commonly and consistently reported rates in the field, especially on studies that relied on lifetime or one-time specified retrospective reporting periods. These data suggest community youth are at continued and sustained risk for DV onset across the transition into emerging adulthood, necessitating early adolescent prevention and intervention efforts that endure through late adolescence, emerging adulthood, and beyond. From a research perspective, our findings point to the need for assessing DV on a repeated basis over multiple timepoints to better guage the full extent of this continued public health crisis.

Perceived racial discrimination and polysubstance use among racial/ethnic minority adolescents in the United States

OBJECTIVE

Polysubstance use among adolescents is a significant public health concern, yet most studies on adolescent substance use focus on a singular substance. This study is one of the first to investigate the association between perceived racial discrimination (PRD) in school and polysubstance use among racial/ethnic minority adolescents using a nationally representative sample.

METHODS

Data was from the 2021 Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey. The sample included 4145 racial/ethnic minority adolescents (52.8% female). Hierarchical binary logistic regression was used to examine the association between PRD in school and polysubstance use among racial/ethnic minority adolescents.

RESULTS

About 12% of racial/ethnic minority adolescents engaged in polysubstance use and 23.4% reported experiencing PRD in school sometimes/most of the time/always. Controlling for other factors, experiencing PRD in school sometimes/most of the time/always was associated with 1.52 times higher odds of polysubstance use when compared to adolescents who never experienced PRD in school (OR=1.52, p=.044, 95% CI=1.01-2.30). Cyberbullying victimization, symptoms of depression, and being emotionally abused by a parent during COVID-19 were also associated with polysubstance use.

CONCLUSION

Controlling for demographic characteristics and psychosocial stressors, PRD in school was significantly associated with higher odds of polysubstance use among racial/ethnic minority adolescents. The findings of this study could inform clinicians and policymakers of the association between PRD in school and polysubstance use, which could contribute to early identification of polysubstance use among racial/ethnic minority adolescents.

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.

Prevalence and Predictors of Perpetration of Cyberviolence Against a Dating Partner: A Cross-Cultural Study with Moroccan and Spanish Youth

The rise in the levels of cyberviolence in adolescent couples has become a social, educational, and public health problem of enormous magnitude. This study analyzed the nature and dimensions of cyberviolence among adolescents and its association with other forms of offline violence by country of origin (Morocco or Spain) and gender. The objective of the study was to identify the predictors of the perpetration of cyberviolence against a dating partner. The predictor variables were five types of dating victimization (cyber, physical, sexual, emotional with a social impact, and emotional with an individual impact), history of violence, and parental monitoring knowledge. The sample consisted of Spanish (n = 802) and Moroccan students (n = 241) who had dated and attended secondary schools in southeastern Spain. Over half of the participants had perpetrated cyberviolence against their partners; the prevalence was higher among girls and Moroccan youth. Boys reported more physical victimization than girls. For all groups, the strongest predictor of cyberviolence perpetration was cyberviolence victimization. The influence of other forms of victimization, history of offline violence, and parental monitoring differed by the youth's country of origin and gender. The study reinforces the need for intersectional and cross-cultural analyses of online behaviors.

The effects of irrational romantic relationship beliefs and experiences in close relationships on dating violence of nursing and midwifery students

PURPOSE

This study aimed to investigate the effects of irrational romantic relationship beliefs and experiences in close relationships on dating violence of nursing and midwifery students.

METHODS

This was a descriptive, correlational study. The study was conducted with 261 nursing and midwifery students in a university located in northeastern Turkey.

RESULTS

A negative and moderate correlation was found between students' dating violence with the use of social time and different thinking (p < 0.01). Anxious attachment (β = -3.241), secure attachment (β = -3.119), use of social time (β = -0.252), and different thinking (β = -2.788) were predictors of dating violence (p < 0.01).

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Nursing and midwifery students exposed to dating violence should be applied psychosocial interventions including motivational interviewing and cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Adolescent Victims of Physical Dating Violence: Why Do They Stay in Abusive Relationships?

According to recent international studies, most of the adolescent victims of physical dating violence remain satisfied and committed toward their abusive relationship, giving way to long-term relationships in which the abuse tends to persist and increase in frequency and severity. The objective of this study is to contribute to the understanding of the stay/leave decision of the adolescent victims of physical dating violence. A structural equation model was estimated to explain the direct and indirect contribution of the level of satisfaction, commitment, justification of the aggression, relationship duration, psychological coercion toward commitment, and the consequences of the abuse on the victims' decision to continue in the abusive relationship. The sample was 456 Latinx adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years. The results corroborate that the decision to leave a physically abusive dating relationship is a complex phenomenon related to subjective variables such as (a) the level of satisfaction, (b) cognitive evaluation of the aggression (especially in those couples who have been together for a long time), and (c) the exposure to psychological pressures toward commitment. Future preventive strategies must incorporate actions to help the youngest to evaluate in a more objective and adequate way, the real quality of their first relationships, and aim to modify the justification of the aggression, the recognition of the potential harm, and to foster an adequate balance between the benefits and harm of staying in the abusive relationship.

Addressing Adolescent Relationship Abuse in the Context of Reproductive Health Care

Adolescent relationship abuse (ARA) is a significant public health issue that includes physical, sexual, psychological and cyber abuse, reproductive coercion, and/or sexual exploitation within an intimate relationship in which one or both partners is a minor. ARA is associated with numerous negative outcomes that include all domains of health. Many negative outcomes of ARA are related to reproductive and sexual health (RSH); thus, reproductive health care providers must be equipped to recognize and address ARA. This article will review the epidemiology and outcomes of ARA, followed by a discussion of means to robustly address ARA in health care settings. We recommend a strengths-based approach that promotes healthy adolescent relationships, connects adolescents experiencing ARA to harm reduction resources, and equips adolescents to serve as a resource for their peers.

Increased Likelihood of Forced Sexual Intercourse, Sexual Violence, and Sexual Dating Violence Victimization Among Sexual Minority Youth

Sexual violence victimization among adolescents, specifically sexual minority youth, is a significant public health concern. The purpose of this study was to compare sexual violence victimization rates among sexual minority and heterosexual youth using nationally representative data from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System. Results indicated that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning youth were significantly more likely than heterosexual youth (p < .05) to experience sexual violence (22.3% vs. 9.1%), sexual dating violence (16.3% vs. 6.4%), and forced sexual intercourse (17.6% vs. 5.9%). Among sexual minority youth, female participants were more likely than male participants (p < .05) to experience sexual violence (23.5% vs. 18.0%), sexual dating violence (17.2% vs. 11.6%), and forced sexual intercourse (19.0% vs. 13.1%). This study identified varying rates of sexual violence victimization among a national sample of youth while examining the differences between heterosexual and sexual minority communities. The additional behavioral risks experienced by sexual minority youth should be further researched to determine impact on overall quality of life and to help guide health education intervention development.

Age at first alcohol use and weapon carrying among adolescents: Findings from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey

BACKGROUND

Although studies have investigated the association between alcohol use and violent behaviors such as weapon carrying, few studies have examined the association between age at first alcohol use and weapon-carrying among adolescents. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between age at first alcohol use and weapon carrying among adolescents.

METHODS

Data for this study came from the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. An analytic sample of 13,442 adolescents aged 14-18 years old (51% female) was analyzed using binary logistic regression. The outcome variable investigated in this study was weapon carrying during the past 30 days, and the main explanatory variable investigated was age at first alcohol use.

RESULTS

Of the 13,442 adolescents, 13.5% carried a weapon during the past 30 days, and 15.4% reported having their first alcoholic drink before age 13. In the multivariable logistic regression, adolescents who reported having alcohol before age 13 had more than double the odds of carrying a weapon when compared to those who never had alcohol before age 13 (AOR = 2.32, p < .001, 95% CI = 1.87-2.89). Other significant factors associated with weapon carrying include male gender, victim of bullying, teen dating violence, sexual violence, suicidal ideation, and history of substance use. Adolescents who self-identified as Black/African American or Hispanic were significantly less likely to carry a weapon when compared to adolescents who self-identified as non-Hispanic White.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study underscore the importance of developing age appropriate intervention strategies to curb early initiation of alcohol use and weapon carrying among adolescents.

History of Physical Teen Dating Violence and Its Association With Suicidal Behaviors Among Adolescent High School Students: Results From the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey

Although studies have investigated and found physical teen dating violence (TDV) has a significant negative impact on mental health outcomes, few studies are yet to investigate the effect of physical TDV on suicidal behaviors among adolescents. The objectives of this study are to examine the prevalence of physical TDV, suicidal ideation, suicide plan, and suicide attempt among adolescents aged 14 to 18 years and the association between physical TDV and these suicidal behaviors. Data for this study were obtained from the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. A sample of 9,693 adolescents aged 14 to 18 years (50.4% males) was analyzed using logistic regression with suicidal ideation, suicide plan, and suicide attempt as outcome variables and physical TDV as the main explanatory variable. About 17% of the adolescent students experienced suicidal ideation, 13.7% made a suicide plan, and 7.6% attempted suicide during the past 12 months. Among those who were dating, 9.9% experienced physical TDV. In the multivariate logistic regression, adolescent students who experienced physical TDV were 1.92 times more likely to have experienced suicidal ideation, 1.67 times more likely to have made a suicide plan, and 2.42 times more likely to have attempted suicide during the past 12 months when compared with their counterparts who were dating but experienced no physical TDV. Other significant predictors of suicidal behaviors include being a sexual minority, experiencing forced sex, bullying, feeling sad or hopeless, and binge drinking. Having sufficient sleep lowered the odds of suicidal ideation and suicide plan. The topic of physical TDV and its association with suicidal behaviors among adolescents is such an important issue for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in the United States and around the world. Prevention and intervention efforts should be culturally tailored to reflect the unique experiences with physical TDV and suicide among minority populations such as sexual minority adolescents.

Bidirectional Relations Between Dating Violence Victimization and Substance Use in a Diverse Sample of Early Adolescents

Substance use and dating violence victimization are common in adolescence and represent significant public health concerns. Although theoretical accounts suggest a bidirectional association between substance use and victimization within dating relationships, this has not been tested during early adolescence. Thus, the current study examined bidirectional associations between physical and psychological dating violence victimization and substance use across 6 months among an ethnically diverse sample of early adolescents. Sex was also examined as a moderator. Participants included two cohorts of sixth graders from 37 schools who were in dating relationships in the last 3 months at Wave 1, in the fall of sixth grade, and 6 months later at Wave 2, in the spring of sixth grade (n = 2,022; 43% female; 55% Black, 17% Latino/a, 16% White, 9% as multiracial, and 3% as another race/ethnicity). Students reported on the frequency of dating violence in the past 3 months and substance use in the past 30 days. Multilevel models, with students at Level 1 and classes (i.e., clusters of students in the same cohort at the same school; n = 74) at Level 2, tested hypotheses that positive reciprocal relations between physical and psychological dating violence victimization and substance use would be found over time, and that relations would be stronger for girls than boys. Sex, race/ethnicity, and family structure variables were included as Level 1 covariates; intervention condition and neighborhood concentrated disadvantage were included as Level 2 covariates. Results showed that higher levels of physical dating violence victimization at Wave 1 predicted increased substance use at Wave 2. Higher levels of substance use at Wave 1 predicted increased physical and psychological dating violence victimization at Wave 2. Findings highlight the importance of prevention efforts for dating violence and substance use early in adolescence.

Codevelopment of Delinquency, Alcohol Use, and Aggression Toward Peers and Dates: Multitrajectory Patterns and Predictors

We aimed to characterize developmental patterns of involvement in alcohol use, delinquency, and interpersonal aggression in a normative sample of adolescents by applying multitrajectory group-based modeling. Using seven waves of data from a cohort sequential study spanning the 6th to 12th grades (n = 2,825; 50% girls), we identified four distinct trajectory groups: low risk (33%), declining peer aggressors (44%), peer and dating aggressors (13%), and multidomain high risk (10%). Across all comparisons, girls were more likely than boys to be members of the peer and dating aggressor group and less likely to be members of the multidomain high-risk group. Moreover, individual (self-control, negative emotionality), family (family violence, parental monitoring), and peer (substance use norms) distinguished class membership.

Childhood Protective Factors and a Prevention Program Reduce Later Problem Behaviors

Prior research has yet to elucidate how constellations of protective factors in childhood and prevention efforts simultaneously may influence youth involvement in problem behaviors across different points in development. The current study examines how latent classes of social and emotional learning (SEL) skills, parent-child relationships, and peer influences in third grade and receipt of an ongoing SEL intervention predict substance use and violence in fifth and eighth grade. The urban, predominantly low-income, sample (N = 1,169) was nested in 14 schools that were randomly assigned to the Positive Action program or business-as-usual. Membership in a latent class reflecting protective childhood factors predicted less substance use and violence in fifth grade; however, the SEL program predicted less substance use and violence in eighth grade. Findings generally support that SEL interventions can successfully target and boost developmentally appropriate positive behaviors and can prevail over initial risk factors with enough time and exposure.

High prevalence of health and social risk behaviours among men experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviour: The imperative to undertake holistic assessments

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to examine whether suicidal thoughts and behaviour were independently associated with a wide range of health and social risk behaviours.

METHODS

We conducted cross-sectional analyses of data collected from 13,763 adult males who participated in The Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health. We fit generalised linear models to estimate the relative risk of engaging in a range of health and social risk behaviours across several domains by suicidal thoughts and behaviour status.

RESULTS

Men with recent suicidal ideation (relative risk range, 1.10-5.25) and lifetime suicide attempts (relative risk range, 1.10-7.65) had a higher risk of engaging in a broad range of health and social risk behaviours. The associations between suicidal thoughts and behaviour and health and social risk behaviours were typically independent of socio-demographics and in many cases were also independent of depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSION

Suicidal thoughts and behaviour overlaps with increased risk of engagement in a wide range of health and social risk behaviours, indicating the need for an alignment of broader public health interventions within clinical and community-based suicide prevention activities. The experience of suicidality may be an important catalyst for a broader psychosocial conversation and assessment of health and social risk behaviours, some of which may be modifiable. These behaviours may not carry an imminent risk of premature death, such as from suicide, but they carry profound health and social consequences if left unaddressed.

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.

Trajectories of psychological dating violence perpetration in adolescence

BACKGROUND

More than one adolescent out of three will use psychological dating violence (DV) as a strategy to resolve conflict in romantic relationships, which will have major consequences on their partner's well-being. However, over time, most adolescents will learn skills to better interact and face conflicts, suggesting that psychological DV rates should decrease over time. Yet, because of individual characteristics and experiences, evolution over time may differ across adolescents. Risk factors for psychological DV have not been examined specifically, even though it is the most common form of dating violence.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore latent trajectories of psychological DV perpetration and examine risk factors predicting trajectory group membership.

PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS

A sub-sample of 449 adolescents who reported being in a dating relationship for the three waves of the [blind for review] completed printed and online self-report questionnaires.

RESULTS

Results from the group-based modeling identified 4 trajectories of psychological DV perpetration: absence of violence (30.7%), low violence (61.3%), high descending (4.2%), and moderate elevating (3.8%). Age, DV victimization, exposure to father toward mother violence, low self-esteem, marijuana use, DV victimization of peers, and antisocial behaviors of peers predicted trajectory membership. The model explained 36.7% of the variance.

CONCLUSIONS

These results support the need for a person-oriented approach to study psychological DV and for developing prevention programs adapted to the specific characteristics of vulnerable youth.

Longitudinal trajectories of perpetration of adolescent dating abuse in a national sample

Despite extensive research regarding patterns and outcomes of victimization in dating relationships, there has been limited investigation of the developmental profiles of the perpetration of adolescent dating abuse (ADA). We estimated longitudinal latent growth models of ADA perpetration in a sample of 2,269 U.S. adolescents/young adults ages 12-18 at baseline, drawing on four waves (2013-2017) of data from the nationally representative Survey of Teen Relationships and Intimate Violence. Model results revealed three classes representing "nondaters," respondents showing "increasing dating/ADA," and respondents with "high/stable dating/ADA." Results support prior research finding heightened patterns of ADA perpetration by older youth, and distinguish individual and family characteristics associated with adolescent/young adults' ADA perpetration for the purpose of informing individual and programmatic prevention efforts.

Alcohol, Prescription Drug Misuse, Sexual Violence, and Dating Violence Among High School Youth

PURPOSE

Sexual violence (SV), teen dating violence (TDV), and substance use are significant public health concerns among U.S. adolescents. This study examined whether latent classes of baseline alcohol and prescription drug misuse longitudinally predict SV and TDV victimization and perpetration (i.e., verbal,relational, physical/threatening, and sexual) 1 year later.

METHODS

Students from six Midwestern high schools (n = 1,875; grades 9-11) completed surveys across two consecutive spring semesters. Latent class analysis was used to identify classes of individuals according to four substance use variables. A latent class regression and a manual three-step auxiliary approach were used to assess concurrent and distal relationships between identified classes and SV and TDV victimization and perpetration.

RESULTS

Three classes of substance use were identified: low/no use (41% of sample), alcohol only use (45%), and alcohol and prescription drug misuse (APD) (14%). Youth in the APD class experienced greater SV and TDV victimization and perpetration than the alcohol only class at baseline. At Time 2 (one year later), youth in the baseline APD class experienced significantly higher SV and TDV victimization and perpetration outcomes than youth in the alcohol only class with the exception of sexual and physical TDV perpetration.

CONCLUSIONS

The misuse of both alcohol and prescription drugs emerged as a significant risk factor for later SV and TDV among adolescents. As such, it would be beneficial if future research continued to assess the nature of these associations and incorporate prescription drug use and misuse into heath education,substance use, and violence prevention programs.