Gender and Contextual Factors in Adolescent Dating Violence

Abstract

This study explored the occurrence of violence in adolescent dating relationships, the contexts in which violence occured, and the reactions of adolescents involved in the violence. Six hundred and thirty-five high school students were surveyed using a dating violence questionnaire that included items modified from the Conflict Tactics Scales. Analyses focused on comparing male and female reports of victimization in current and past dating relationships. Consistent with some previous studies, male and female adolescents did not differ in overall frequency of violence in dating relationships. However, adolescent girls experienced significantly higher levels of severe violence and reported more severe physical and emotional reactions to the violence.