Trajectories of psychological dating violence perpetration in adolescence.
BACKGROUND
More than one adolescent out of three will use psychological dating violence (DV) as a strategy to resolve conflict in romantic relationships, which will have major consequences on their partner's well-being. However, over time, most adolescents will learn skills to better interact and face conflicts, suggesting that psychological DV rates should decrease over time. Yet, because of individual characteristics and experiences, evolution over time may differ across adolescents. Risk factors for psychological DV have not been examined specifically, even though it is the most common form of dating violence.


OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to explore latent trajectories of psychological DV perpetration and examine risk factors predicting trajectory group membership.


PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS
A sub-sample of 449 adolescents who reported being in a dating relationship for the three waves of the [blind for review] completed printed and online self-report questionnaires.


RESULTS
Results from the group-based modeling identified 4 trajectories of psychological DV perpetration: absence of violence (30.7%), low violence (61.3%), high descending (4.2%), and moderate elevating (3.8%). Age, DV victimization, exposure to father toward mother violence, low self-esteem, marijuana use, DV victimization of peers, and antisocial behaviors of peers predicted trajectory membership. The model explained 36.7% of the variance.


CONCLUSIONS
These results support the need for a person-oriented approach to study psychological DV and for developing prevention programs adapted to the specific characteristics of vulnerable youth.
['Lapierre|Andréanne|A|', 'Paradis|Alison|A|', 'Todorov|Emily|E|', 'Blais|Martin|M|', 'Hébert|Martine|M|']
D000293:Adolescent D000294:Adolescent Behavior D000428:Alcohol Drinking D058445:Bullying D019548:Crime Victims D005260:Female D006801:Humans D007398:Interpersonal Relations D000066511:Intimate Partner Violence D008297:Male D010379:Peer Group D012307:Risk Factors D012309:Risk-Taking D019966:Substance-Related Disorders D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Trajectories Psychological dating violence Risk factors Self-esteem Peers’ characteristics Risky behaviors