NCJ Number
200764
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 18 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2003 Pages: 143-162
Date Published
April 2003
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This article examines the links between inter-parental violence, parental controls, and dating violence.
Abstract
Prior research has indicated a link between parental violence and children’s later involvement in a violent relationship. Similarly, criminological research has postulated that weak or absent parental controls are associated with the likelihood of delinquent behavior by juveniles. Relatively absent in the research literature is an examination of whether parental violence and parental controls impact dating violence. Two research questions were examined in this study: (a) how is inter-parental violence associated with parent-child attachment, parental control, adolescent dating behavior, and dating violence; and (b) what are the interactive and independent effects of inter-parental violence and parental control on dating violence and attitudes towards violence? Students in grades 9 through 11 in 2 public schools in Southerntown, AR, completed a 200-item questionnaire that focused on family violence, attitudes towards violence, and dating behavior. Results of bivariate statistical analyses revealed that dating violence among the participants was significantly associated with inter-parental violence, high dating frequency, and low parental control. Participants’ attitudes towards violence were positively associated with inter-parental violence, low parent-child attachment, and the interaction of inter-parental violence and parental attachment. The results support social control theory and moderately support learning theory. Future research should concentrate on the interaction of parental violence with parental attachment, and should focus on children during different developmental stages. Tables, notes, references, and appendices