Parental socialization and adolescent dating violence victimization

There has been a great deal of research interest on intimate partner violence, but comparatively less research has been focused on adolescent dating victimization. The available research, however, shows that adolescent dating victimization is often a precursor to adulthood intimate partner violence victimization as well as a range of other maladaptive outcomes. The current study sought to examine whether parental socialization was associated with being the victim of adolescent dating violence. To do so, data from the National Longitudinal of Adolescent to Adult Health were analyzed. The results revealed that most of the parenting measures were unrelated to adolescent dating violence victimization, but that measures of self-control and delinquent peers emerged as consistent predictors for both males and females. These findings underscore the complex nature of adolescent dating victimization and highlight the importance of future research addressing this pressing social issue.