Neighborhood Social Support and Social Participation as Predictors of Dating Violence

• Published in: Journal of interpersonal violence Vol. 38; no. 13-14; pp. 8400 - 8421
• Main Authors: Rodrigues, Paul, Hébert, Martine, Philibert, Mathieu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.07.2023; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior - psychology; Adolescents; Boys; Children & youth; Community organizations; Couples; Courtship - psychology; Crime Victims - psychology; Dating; Domestic violence; Emotional abuse; Female; Females; Gender differences; Girls; High School Students; Humans; Intimate partner violence; Intimate Partner Violence - psychology; Male; Males; Neighborhoods; Original; Peer groups; Risk; Romantic relationships; Secondary school students; Sex crimes; Social Participation; Social Support; Teenagers; Victimization; Violence; Violence - psychology; social support; adolescent; neighborhood; social participation; dating violence
• ISSN: 0886-2605; 1552-6518
• DOI: 10.1177/08862605231155130

Many adolescents experience violence in the context of dating and romantic relationships. Neighborhoods can influence dating violence by offering certain resources which can provide social support and opportunities for social participation, but knowledge about these effects is still limited. The purpose of the current study was to (a) assess the association between neighborhood social support, social participation, and dating violence, and (b) explore possible gender difference in these associations. This study was conducted on a subsample of 511 participants living in Montréal from the Québec Health Survey of High School Students (QHSHSS 2016–2017). QHSHSS data were used to measure psychological and physical/sexual violence (perpetration and victimization), neighborhood social support, and social participation, as well as individual and family covariates. Several neighborhood-level data from multiple sources were also used as covariates. Logistic regressions were performed to estimate associations between neighborhood social support and social participation, and Dating violence (DV). Analyses were conducted separately for girls and boys to explore possible gender differences. Findings suggest that girls who reported high neighborhood social support had a lower risk of perpetrating psychological DV. High social participation was associated with a lower risk of perpetrating physical/sexual DV for girls, whereas it was associated with a higher risk of perpetrating psychological DV for boys. Preventive strategies to foster social support in neighborhoods, such as mentoring programs, and the development of community organizations to increase the social participation of adolescents could help reduce DV. To address the perpetration of DV by boys, prevention programs in community and sports organizations targeting male peer groups should also be developed to prevent these behaviors.