OVERLAPPING CORRELATES OF BEING SUBJECTED TO AND PERPETRATION OF ADOLESCENT DATING VIOLENCE

Adolescent dating violence (ADV) refers to intimate partner violence (IPV) among adolescents. Research suggests that it may be even more common than among adults, correlates with numerous negative mental health and psychosocial indicators and is predictive of IPV in adulthood. This study set out to explore factors related to family background, mental health, peer relationships, sexual experiences and self-esteem as correlates of ADV victimization and perpetration among 1,386 9th graders who responded in the survey study, Adolescent Mental Health Cohort and Replication Study (AMHC) in 2018. While when studied one by one, variables from all these domains were associated with ADV victimization and perpetration, in final multivariate models independent associations were detected in advanced sexual experiences and experiences of being subjected to sexual harassment. Parental involvement in adolescents’ lives was further inversely associated with ADV perpetration. Our findings suggst that to prevent ADV, sexuality education and promotion of parental involvement during adolescent years may be beneficial.