Predictors of Physical and Dating Violence in Middle and High School Students in the United States

Abstract

Dating violence is a growing and prominent problem for today’s middle and high school students. Intimate partner violence, which can include physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological aggression, affects millions of individuals worldwide. This specific study will examine one age group affected by this rampant phenomenon: adolescents under the age of 18. The purpose of this study is to continue the examination of correlates of dating violence, specifically physical and sexual, through the analysis of data from the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey and application of Routine Activities Theory. Results support hypotheses that the components of Routine Activities Theory are moderate to strong predictors of physical and sexual dating violence in adolescents.

A Systematic Review of Lifestyle-Routine Activity Theory in the Context of Direct-Contact Sexual Victimization

“…In the same vein, one's own delinquency can increase exposure to potential perpetrators and produce opportunity for crime. Measurements included a 14-item frequency scale of criminal behaviors (Tillyer et al, 2010), a subscale focused on aggressive and illegal behaviors (Combs-Lane & Smith, 2002), whether the respondent participated in a fight over the last year (Higgins et al, 2018), and a binary measure created from a nine-item delinquency scale in the Add Health (Azimi & Daigle, 2021). Tyler and Beal's (2010) study was focused on homeless young adults and included panhandling and time spent selling sex.…”

The Link Between Adversity and Dating Violence Among Adolescents Hospitalized for Psychiatric Treatment: Parental Emotion Validation as a Candidate Protective Factor

“…A developing literature suggests links between negative life events during adolescence and subsequent mental health symptoms (Ge et al, 2006;Low et al, 2012). With a few exceptions (Higgins et al, 2018;Miller et al, 2011), the majority of studies that tested the risk for dating violence focused on one particular type of stressor at a time. However, the sensitizationto-stress theory posits that adversity may create psychological and physiological hyperreactivity to stress, suggesting that the cumulation of stress may create risk for violent relationships (Mason & Smithey, 2012;Roberts et al, 2011).…”

“…Adolescent dating violence has been slow to receive attention as a public health concern despite its high prevalence and the prognostic significance that it holds for future relationships. Violence at a young age may be an age-expected, normative lack of behavioral regulation rather than disturbance in behavior that merits remedying; however, studies have documented a host of short-and long-term negative outcomes linked to violence from a romantic partner (Choi et al, 2017;Foshee et al, 2013;Harned & Vict, 2001;Silverman et al, 2001), with some factors such as the severity of adversity experienced and gender being associated with greater reports of dating violence perpetration and victimization (Higgins et al, 2018;Reyes et al, 2016). Therefore, it is imperative to better understand the factors that may both create risk and foster resilience to dating violence in adolescence.…”

Association of childhood maltreatment with subsequent dating violence: An analysis of revictimization among the Korean population

“…Regarding the prevention of dating violence, substantial efforts have been made to understand the factors that cause and modulate dating violence (Liu et al, 2018; Shamu et al, 2016; Taylor & Mumford, 2016). As interest in understanding victims of dating violence increases, studies focusing on the association between childhood victimization and revictimization (during a dating relationship) are accumulating (Higgins et al, 2018; Walters & Espelage, 2018). Being a victim of adolescent physical abuse increased the risk of dating violence victimization during the first year of college (Smith et al, 2003).…”