Adolescent date fighting victimization and perpetration from a multi-community sample: associations with substance use and other violent victimization and perpetration.
Dating violence perpetration and victimization among adolescents in the U.S. is an important public health problem. The literature examining the relationship between dating violence, substance use, and other risk behaviors among adolescents is limited.


OBJECTIVE
The goal of this study was to examine associations of adolescent date fighting victimization and date fighting perpetration with substance use and other risk behaviors.


METHODS
Repeated cross-sectional phone surveys of 14-20 year olds from 70 communities across five states were conducted in the spring of2004 and 2006 (n=13,422). Multivariate regression analyses were used to analyze the relationship between date fighting victimization and date fighting perpetration with substance use and other risk behaviors.


RESULTS
Older age, Black race (vs. White), single parent household, age of first drink, riding in a car with a drinking driver, having been sexually victimized, and having threatened or hurt someone with a weapon were associated with date fighting victimization (all p<.01). Older age, female gender, Black race (vs. White), Hispanic ethnicity (vs. White), single parent household, age of first drink, past 30 day drunkenness, past 30 day marijuana use, having been sexually victimized, having perpetrated sexual victimization, and having threatened or hurt someone with a weapon were associated with date fighting perpetration.


CONCLUSIONS
Similar, yet distinct, patterns of individual characteristics and health risk behaviors emerged for date fighting victimization and perpetration among adolescents.
Champion
Heather
H
Research, Innovation, and Product Development, Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, North Carolina 27410, USA. championh@ccl.org
Wagoner
Kimberly
K
Song
Eun-Young
EY
Brown
Victoria Kumpuris
VK
Wolfson
Mark
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D000367:Age Factors; D003380:Courtship / Q000523:psychology; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012309:Risk-Taking; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult