NCJ Number
138797
Journal
Social Work Volume: 37 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1992) Pages: 21-29
Date Published
1992
Length
9 pages
Annotation
All 631 students attending a suburban, a rural, and an inner-city high school in three midwestern communities that differed significantly in terms of racial composition, average family income, and occupational trends were surveyed to estimate the proportion of high school students who have experienced sexual dating violence, physical dating violence, and severe violence (a combined category of physical and sexual violence), and to explore the characteristics and correlates of the violence.
Abstract
The average proportion of students reporting sexual dating violence was 10.5 percent, 15.7 percent female (n=53) and 4.4 percent male (n=13). Twelve percent of the sample (15.7 percent female and 7.8 percent male) reported physical dating violence, and 17.7 percent (24.6 percent female and 9.9 percent male) reported severe dating violence. A majority of respondents told no one about the violence. Only 139 students (22 percent) disclosed the violence to someone. Forty-two female students and 16 male students continued to date the violent partner. Sexual violence was more frequent than physical violence on first dates as reported by 22 (41.5 percent) of the females and 7 (30.4 percent) of the males. The highest incidence of dating violence was found consistently in the suburban school, the second highest in the inner-city school, and the third highest in the rural school. The discussion concludes with consideration of the implications of the study findings in regard to the causes, treatment, and prevention of violence. 3 tables and 19 references