Sarah Avery-Leaf

Efficacy of a dating violence prevention program on attitudes justifying aggression

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate a five-session dating violence prevention curriculum in terms of its effect on attitudes justifying the use of dating violence. METHODS The curriculum was implemented in all health classes in a Long Island, New York, school. A total of 193 students participated (boys, n = 106; girls, n = 87). A quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate change in attitudes justifying dating violence, with health classes randomly assigned to the treatment or no-treatment conditions. RESULTS Pre- to postprogram assessments indicated that there were significant decreases in overall attitudes justifying the use of dating violence as a means to resolve conflict among students exposed to the curriculum material, whereas those who were not exposed did not show attitude change from pre- to postprogram evaluation. CONCLUSIONS The curriculum shows promise as an effective tool for changing attitudes condoning dating violence. Future research is needed to determine whether the observed attitude change is also linked to reduction in aggressive behaviors.

Gender Differences in Dating Aggression Among Multiethnic High School Students

PURPOSE (1) To assess prevalence of physical dating aggression and victimization among high school students; (2) to assess prevalence of mutual and exclusive aggression; (3) to determine whether aggression differs across ethnic groups and relationship type; and (4) to ascertain the likelihood of injury and breakup in individuals who reported that they were the recipients of physical aggression. METHODS Students (N = 2363) from seven multiethnic high schools participated. Because males in high school date females younger than they and the reverse for females, and because males and females may underreport aggression, only within gender comparisons were conducted. RESULTS More females reported engaging in physical aggression (40%) than reported being victims of aggression (30%). Fewer males reported engaging in physical aggression (24%) than reported being victims of physical aggression (31%). If physical aggression occurred, typically both partners were aggressive. For females, exclusive engagement in physical aggression (perpetration) was reported at higher rates than exclusively being the recipient of physical aggression (victimization) and vice versa for males. Dating aggression was less prevalent among male Asian students than other ethnic groups. Engaged males and females reported the highest rates of physical aggression. Injury was reported by over 25% of males and females who reported being the recipients of physical aggression. CONCLUSIONS Dating aggression intervention programs should address physical aggression of both males and females. Because approximately 30% of the high school males and females reported being the recipients of physical aggression by their partners, primary prevention efforts should occur before high school.

High school students' responses to dating aggression

The purpose of this study was to identify high school students’ actions in response to physical aggression in their dating relationships. The association of these actions with race/ethnicity and gender was also examined. From a sample of high school students (N = 476), a subsample who reported that they had experienced at least one episode of being victimized by physical aggression in a dating relationship (n = 183), served as the sample of interest. On average, students engaged in two help-seeking actions, with females reporting more actions than males. Overall, the most common responses to physical aggression in a dating relationship were aggressive action (e.g., fight back), informal help seeking, threatened or actual breakup, and doing nothing (males) or crying (females). Females were more likely to fight back than were males. Race was largely unrelated to students’ actions. Intervention opportunities and areas for future research are discussed.

Two new measures of attitudes about the acceptability of teen dating aggression

Aggression in dating relationships is associated with attitudes that justify its use. Attitudes about dating aggression are targeted by prevention efforts, contributing to a need to measure these attitudes sensitively, accurately, and multidimensionally. We describe two new measures of attitudes about aggression, each tapping different attitudinal components, and compare their psychometric properties with an existing scale. The 1st assesses attitudes about physical aggression in provocative situations. The 2nd taps attitudes about verbally aggressive, controlling, and jealous tactics against a dating partner. Data from 2,313 high school students were factor analyzed and cross-validated for each new scale. Compared with an existing measure, the scales had comparable levels of reliability and validity and improved response distributions. A 2nd-order factor analysis lends support to a multidimensional view of attitudes about dating aggression.

Gender differences in dating aggression and victimization among low-income, urban middle school students

Emerging research on dating aggression in early adolescence suggests that it occurs as early as 6th grade. However, our understanding of dating aggression during this developmental phase remains limited. The primary purpose of the current study was to examine gender differences in various potentially harmful dating behaviors, including physical and psychological dating aggression and victimization as well as jealous, controlling, and monitoring behaviors in a low-income, urban sample of middle school students (N = 3,174). Approximately 40% of youth reported physical dating aggression as a perpetrator or victim. Girls endorsed all forms of physical aggression at a higher rate than boys with one exception: physical restraint. Regarding physical dating victimization, boys reported higher rates of having been slapped; scratched; or kicked, bit, or hit than did girls. There were no statistically significant gender differences in the frequency of injury to self (6% of boys, 2% of girls) or partner (4% of boys and 5% of girls injured a partner). Although the overall injury rate was low, it was not inconsequential. Regarding other potentially harmful behaviors, girls and boys reported jealous accusations, monitoring and spiteful verbal and nonverbal retaliation with the highest frequency. Although, the vast majority of dating aggression was characterized as “just playing around,” many youth demanded apologies and a substantial minority broke up as a result of dating aggression. Of note, boys were significantly more likely to “do nothing” in response to dating aggression compared to girls. Results highlight the complex, variable meaning of aggression, jealousy, and control in early adolescent dating relationships.

Case Study of a School-Based Universal Dating Violence Prevention Program:

Evaluation of universal dating violence prevention programs has rapidly expanded in the past two decades. Many programs demonstrate change in attitudes supportive of dating violence, and a few show evidence of behavior change; however, detailed analysis of process and fidelity of program implementation is generally neglected. An important goal of prevention research is to identify successful initiatives that can be replicated and disseminated in the field. The purpose of the current case study is to document the implementation process of a middle school–based dating violence prevention curriculum in economically disadvantaged urban neighborhoods. Particular attention is given to the school context, such as the process of school and teacher recruitment, the program model, and classroom implementation of the dating violence prevention program in four areas: teacher training, student outcomes, program fidelity, and student engagement. Nine health and physical education teachers from six urban middle schools participated. Results describe effective strategies to secure school participation and engagement, and provide evidence regarding methods to train health and physical education teachers in low-income, urban neighborhoods. Furthermore, classroom observations demonstrate that teachers successfully implemented the five-lesson curriculum, which resulted in positive student outcomes to prevent dating violence. This case study represents an important step in deepening our understanding of the mechanisms of program delivery.