Date fighting experiences among college students: are they associated with other health-risk behaviors?
OBJECTIVE
The authors examined the clustering of health-risk behaviors among college students who reported date fight involvement.


METHODS
The authors administered a Web-based survey to a stratified random sample of 3,920 college students from 10 universities in North Carolina.


RESULTS
Among men, 5.6% reported date fight victimization, and 1% reported date fight perpetration. Victimization among men was associated with (1) first drink at age 15 years or younger, (2) a recent threat of violence by someone who had been drinking, (3) smoking, (4) amphetamine use, and (5) older age. Among women, 6.7% reported date fight victimization, which was associated with (1) older age, (2) assault from a student who had been drinking, (3) sex with 2 or more persons, (4) consumption of alcohol in high school, (5) illegal drug use, (6) nonsexual assault requiring medical treatment, and (7) living off campus. Of the women, 4.2% reported date fight perpetration, which was associated with (1) minority race/ethnicity, (2) older age, (3) frequency of sexual intercourse, and (4) alcohol and marijuana use.


CONCLUSIONS
Date fight experiences were associated with multiple health-risk behaviors among this sample of college students.
DuRant
Robert
R
Wake Forest University's School of Medicine. rdurant@wfubmc.edu
Champion
Heather
H
Wolfson
Mark
M
Omli
Morrow
M
McCoy
Thomas
T
D'Agostino
Ralph B
RB
Wagoner
Kim
K
Mitra
Ananda
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044469:Racial Groups; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012737:Sex Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D014495:Universities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology*