Gender-equitable attitudes, bystander behavior, and recent abuse perpetration against heterosexual dating partners of male high school athletes.
OBJECTIVE
We assessed the relationship between gender attitudes, identified as a critical component of violence prevention, and abuse toward dating partners among adolescent male athletes.


METHODS
Our sample comprised 1699 athletes from 16 high schools in northern California who were surveyed between December 2009 and October 2010 in the larger Coaching Boys Into Men trial. We used logistic regression to assess the association between gender-equitable attitudes, bystander behavior, and recent abuse incidents.


RESULTS
Athletes with more gender-equitable attitudes and greater intention to intervene were less likely (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.36; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.28, 0.46; and AOR = 0.60; 95% CI = 0.48, 0.75, respectively) and athletes who engaged in negative bystander behavior were more likely (AOR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.10, 1.35) to perpetrate abuse against their female dating partners.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite the shift among bystander intervention programs toward gender neutrality, our findings suggest a strong association between gender attitudes and dating violence. Programs designed for adolescents should include discussion of gender attitudes and target bystander behavior, because these components may operate on related but distinct pathways to reduce abuse.
Heather L. McCauley, Maria Catrina Virata, and Elizabeth Miller are with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Division of Adolescent Medicine, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA. Daniel J. Tancredi is with the Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Davis School of Medicine. Jay G. Silverman is with the Division of Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. Michele R. Decker is with the Department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. S. Bryn Austin and Marie C. McCormick are with the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
Heather L
HL
McCauley
Daniel J
DJ
Tancredi
Jay G
JG
Silverman
Michele R
MR
Decker
S Bryn
SB
Austin
Marie C
MC
McCormick
Maria Catrina
MC
Virata
Elizabeth
E
Miller
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D056352:Athletes; D001290:Attitude; D002140:California; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003380:Courtship; D005260:Female; D020010:Heterosexuality; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D012737:Sex Factors; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology