Depression and Self-Rated Health Among Rural Women Who Experienced Adolescent Dating Abuse: A Mixed Methods Study.
This study used mixed methods to examine the experiences and health of rural, young adult women (N = 100) who self-reported past experience of physical, emotional and verbal, sexual, and relational abuse in adolescent dating relationships. Few studies have examined the lasting health ramifications of adolescent dating abuse adolescent dating abuse in rural populations, and almost no mixed methods studies have explored adolescent dating abuse. Participants completed questionnaires on demographics, relationship behaviors, and mental health symptoms. A subsample (n = 10) of participants also completed semi-structured, in-depth interviews with the primary investigator. Results suggest that depressive symptoms and self-rating of health in these women are associated with particular kinds and severity of abusive experiences, and that adolescent dating abuse has ramifications for health and development beyond the duration of the original relationship. Self-rated health (SRH) was inversely associated with abusive behaviors in the relationship, whereas depressive symptoms were positively correlated with such behaviors. Self-rated health was also negatively correlated with depressive symptoms. The results of this study represent an important step toward establishing lifetime health risks posed by adolescent dating abuse.
Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA cwburton@vcu.edu.
Candace W
CW
Burton
Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
Bonnie
B
Halpern-Felsher
University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Roberta S
RS
Rehm
University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Sally H
SH
Rankin
Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
Janice C
JC
Humphreys
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000328:Adult; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D000066511:Intimate Partner Violence / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057566:Self Report; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology; D012931:Social Environment; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
adolescent; dating abuse; depression; rural; women