Self-efficacy, Community Violence, and Adolescent Dating Violence

Researchers have discovered a number of risk factors associated with adolescent dating violence; these include child maltreatment and high levels of conflict in teen dating relationships. This study examined relationships among adolescent dating violence, family violence, community violence, dating history, academic history, and various forms of self-efficacy among 306 high school and university students (age 16 to 19 years). Results showed that psychological, physical, and sexual dating violence were common occurrences among these students, that both males and females admitted perpetrating dating violence, and that dating violence was related to involvement in community violence. Young women in high school who were victims of any form of dating violence demonstrated lower levels of dating self-efficacy (i.e., less confidence in their ability to secure and maintain dating relationships and to protect themselves from dating violence) and those who were victims of sexual dating violence had lower levels of physical selfefficacy. Young men in high school who had perpetrated psychological dating violence had lower academic self-efficacy. Implications for intervention and prevention programs are discussed. Background Adolescence is a significant period of development associated with a variety of new experiences and challenges. Within this period of the life span, the formation of intimate dating relationships is important to the continued healthy development of the individual (McCabe, 1984). Not all dating relationships, however, lead to a positive developmental trajectory. A Adolescent Dating Violence 2 significant proportion of youths will engage in acts of violence against their dating partners during their adolescence. Although reported prevalence rates of dating violence have varied widely, based in part on factors such as the definition of dating violence used and sample characteristics, rates of between 30% and 40% have been commonly reported in the research literature (e.g., Foshee et al., 1998; O’Keefe, 1997). The vast majority of studies exploring rates of adolescent dating violence, however, have involved teenagers from the United States. Moreover, in the few studies of adolescent dating violence among Canadian youth, all published studies have been limited to teenagers from Central and Eastern Canada (Gagne & Lavoie, 1995; Jaffe, Sudermann, Reitzel, & Killip, 1992; Mercer, 1986; Price, Byers, Sears, Whelan, & SaintPierre, 2000; Sudermann & Jaffe, 1993). Thus, additional research which measures rates of dating violence for adolescent samples from other regions of Canada, such as Western Canada, will help provide a clearer picture of the extent of adolescent dating violence. In addition to examining rates of dating violence, researchers have also discovered a number of risk factors associated with adolescent dating violence; these include child maltreatment, family violence, demographic characteristics, and high levels of conflict in teen dating relationships. As a result, a profile of both the adolescent victim and perpetrator of dating violence has begun to emerge. Given that adolescent dating violence is a significant health and social issue, identifying additional correlates may prove to be an important step in addressing this problem. Thus, given the limited amount of prior research in the area, the role of community violence and self-efficacy was examined in relation to dating violence victimization and perpetration. Additionally, relationships among adolescent dating violence, demographic variables, family violence, dating history, and academic history were also investigated.