Purpose
Despite support for the link between family violence exposure and adolescent dating violence (ADV) perpetration, the mechanism underlying this association remains unclear. The present study explored multiple mediators between the variables as well as gender differences in mediation effects among U.S. adolescents.
Methods
The final analytical sample included 1541 adolescents from a longitudinal U.S. study. The sample included slightly more girls (53.1%) and was racially diverse (44.9% African American, 17.2% Multiracial). The mean age of participants was 12.8 years at Time 1. Time 1 predictors were three types of family violence exposure, i.e., perceived family conflict, witnessing intimate partner violence (IPV), and physical child abuse (CA). Time 2 mediators were traditional masculinity, impulsivity, hostility, anger, and depression. Time 3 outcome was physical ADV perpetration. A multiple mediation model was constructed, and presence of mediation was determined by 95% bias-correlated bootstrapped confidence intervals. Multigroup analysis was used to examine gender differences. Chi-square difference tests and the root mean squared error of approximation with the chi-square difference test statistic (RMSEAD) were used to compare the fit of unconstrained models with constrained models, where estimates were constrained equal across gender.
Results
In the full sample analysis, family conflict and witnessing IPV were indirectly associated with physical ADV through hostility (family conflict: a*b = 0.03, 95% CI [0.004, 0.06]; witnessing IPV: a*b = 0.08, 95% CI [0.01, 0.21]). Family conflict was also directly associated with physical ADV (a*b = 0.09, 95% CI [0.01, 0.16]). In the constrained multigroup analysis, family conflict was indirectly associated with physical ADV through traditional masculinity (a*b = 0.01, 95% CI [0.001, 0.03]). There was no gender difference across the pathways.
Conclusions
The finding highlights the importance of addressing hostility and traditional masculinity among youth exposed to family violence to prevent ADV. Programs that allow youth to identify and manage hostile thoughts and feelings and unhealthy masculinity beliefs during stressful times could reduce the likelihood of conflicts escalating to physical violence with dating partners.
(Publisher abstract provided.)