NCJ Number
241774
Journal
Aggression and Violent Behavior Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Dated: January/February 2013 Pages: 159-174
Date Published
February 2013
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This literature review examined contemporary research findings from Europe and North America on the prevalence, dynamic risk factors, and efficacy of intervention programs for adolescent dating violence.
Abstract
This review uses "uniform definitions" of intimate partner violence as the reference for defining dating violence categories. As reported by Saltzman, Fanslow, McMahon, and Shelley (2002), "dating violence" encompasses physical violence, sexual violence, and psychological/emotional violence. The latter type of dating violence involves trauma caused by acts, threats of acts, or coercive tactics. The focus on adolescent dating violence limited the review to research that included dating participants ages 12 to 18 years old. The review found that prevalence rates for adolescent dating violence were comparable across Europe and North America. Psychological/emotional violence was the most prevalent, and sexual violence was the least prevalent. Four dynamic risk factors for dating violence were identified: peer influence, substance use, psychological adjustment and competencies, and attitudes toward violence. Nine intervention programs were identified, all located within North America. Intervention outcomes were mixed, with some evaluations reporting significant long-term benefits and others reporting a decline in positive intervention effects over the course of follow-up. Tentative analysis of the effectiveness of various types of intervention programs suggests that a focus on behavioral change may elicit sustainable effects more readily; however, no data were collected on program replications and variations across intervention instructional methods and sample characteristics. Concerns about research methodology are discussed, and future directions are suggested. 5 tables and 76 references