Dating violence among adolescents

Dr Erica Bowen, Matt Mawer, and Emma Holdsworth

Threats

Psycho – emotional

Sexual

Physical

Saltzman et al. (2002)

Defining violence

Physical violence

Intentional use of physical force with the potential for causing death, disability, injury, or harm.

Examples: slapping, grabbing, choking, punching, burning, restraining, biting

Intentional, unwanted sexual touching or intentional touching of a person of diminished capacity

Sexual violence

Examples: groping, pressuring, getting partner drunk/drugged

Psychological trauma to the victim caused by acts, threats of acts, or coercive tactics.

Psychological/emotional violence

Examples: humiliating, controlling, withholding money, isolating, shaming

Using words, gestures, or weapons to communicate the intent  to cause death, disability, injury, or physical harm.  

Threats of violence

Examples: threats of any type of violence (including through social media)

Definition problems

1. Are these standard definitions?

2. How do we separate “threats”?

3. Sub-hierarchies of violence

4. Who defines behaviour as abuse?

Prevalence

“The prevention and reduction of youth dating violence has become an issue of national urgency"

(Antle et al. 2007; 173)  Boys

15% – 44%Girls

14% – 43%

Approx.

25%

6 teenagers in a class of 25 students

• Parental influence• Peer influence• General delinquency• Substance abuse• Psychological adjustment & competencies• Attitudes towards violence• Nature of relationship & dating behaviour• Being a victim of dating violence

Risk factors for dating violence

• Perception of lesser parental involvement• Witnessing inter-parental aggression• Being a victim of parental aggression• Directing aggression towards parents• Perception of parental support for

aggressive solutions

Parental influence

• Perception of lesser parental involvement

– Perceived lack of authority OR– Lack of exposure to good relationships models,

emotional support & stability– OR BOTH

Parental influence

• Witnessing inter-parental violence– Modelling the behaviour - social cognitive model

of violence – Threat to self and self blame– Ineffective coping

Parental influence

• Being a victim of parental aggression

– Problems controlling behaviour– Problems recognising bad behaviours– Developmental traumatology

• Childhood abuse = historic risk factor• Trauma symptoms = changeable risk factor

Parental influence

Childhood abuse

(historic)

Stress-induced neurobiological

changes

Dating violence

Trauma symptoms

(changeable)

Developmental traumatology

• Friends with experience of dating violence• Friends who perpetrate dating violence• Friends who use aggression generally• Friends who are victims of dating violence

Peer influence

• Friends with experience of dating violence– Interdependence theory– Parents become less important as social

relationships become more important• Friends’ perpetration of dating violence

– Socially acceptable dating behaviour norms

Peer influence

• Friends who use aggression generally– Social groups not too diverse– Group norms unchallenged

• Friends who are victims of dating violence– Longitudinal predictor (girls only)– Social groups include perpetrators and victims

Peer influence

• Parental influence– Perception of lesser involvement = less

authority & less emotional support– Witnessing inter-parental aggression =

modelling behaviour & ineffective coping– Victim of parental aggression = trauma

symptoms (proximal risk for violence)

Summary

• Peer influence– Adolescents susceptible to influences of peer

behaviour– Socially acceptable dating norms– Cohesive groups mean norms remains

unchallenged– Social groups can include perpetrators AND

victims

Summary

Study Programme evaluated

1 Love U2: Increasing your relationship smarts

2 Love U2: Communication smart

3 Expect Respect Programme Support Group

4 Safe Dates

5 Connections: Relationships and Marriage

6 Interaction curricula and Law and Justice curricula

7 Reaching and Teaching Teens to Stop Violence

8 The Youth relationships project

Intervention programmes

Behavioural

AttitudinalPersonal / skills

Results

Other issues

1. Interventions can have negative effects• Provoke behaviour• Negative peer influence

2. Do group interventions work?• Evidence mixed• Supportive; but enabling?

Conclusions

“The prevention and reduction of youth dating violence has become an issue of national urgency"

(Antle et al. 2007; 173)  

1. Four dimensions of violence

2. 6 in a class of 25 students (25%)

3. Main risks factors: parental and peer

4. Interventions: behavioural change

5. But: Lack of European data!

We want to answer your questions!

Erica Bowen E.Bowen@coventry.ac.ukMatt Mawer M.Mawer@coventry.ac.ukEmma Holdsworth Emma.Holdsworth@coventry.ac.uk

References: http://www.cavaproject.eu/