Partner Violence Among Adolescents in Opposite-Sex Romantic Relationships: Findings From the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health

• Published in: American journal of public health (1971) Vol. 91; no. 10; pp. 1679 - 1685
• Main Authors: Halpern, Carolyn Tucker, Oslak, Selene G, Young, Mary L, Martin, Sandra L, Kupper, Lawrence L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC Am Public Health Assoc 01.10.2001; American Public Health Association; American Journal of Public Health 2001
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child development; Crime Victims - statistics & numerical data; Dating; Domestic violence; Domestic Violence - statistics & numerical data; Ethnicity; Female; Females; Health; Health Surveys; High schools; Humans; Interviews; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Medical sciences; Odds Ratio; Personal relationships; Polls & surveys; Prevalence; Psychology, Adolescent; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Public health; Questionnaires; Secondary schools; Sexual Partners - psychology; Sexual relationships; Sociodemographics; Students; Teenagers; United States - epidemiology; USA; Victimization; Victimology; Victims of crime; Violence; Young adults; United States; North America; America; Human; Education level; Sex; Victimology; Epidemiology; Ethnic group; Follow up study; Sociodemographic factor; Adolescent; Romantic love; Family environment; Sex partner; Age; Public health
• ISSN: 0090-0036; 1541-0048
• DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.91.10.1679

This report examines (1) the prevalence of psychological and minor physical violence victimization in a nationally representative sample of adolescents and (2) associations between sociodemographic factors and victimization. Analyses are based on 7500 adolescents who reported exclusively heterosexual romantic relationships in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Items from the Conflict Tactics Scale were used to measure victimization. Associations between victimization patterns and sociodemographic characteristics were assessed with polytomous logistic regression. One third of adolescents reported some type of victimization, and 12% reported physical violence victimization. Although most sociodemographic characteristics were significantly associated with victimization, patterns varied by sex and type of victimization. Psychological and minor physical violence victimization is common in opposite-sex romantic relationships during adolescence. The sex-specific associations between sociodemographic characteristics and patterns of partner violence victimization underscore the importance of pursuing longitudinal, theory-driven investigations of the characteristics and developmental histories of both partners in a couple to advance understanding of this public health problem.