title: The impact of state policy on teen dating violence prevalence.
abstract: Teen dating violence (TDV) is a serious public health concern that is associated with many negative effects. Studies on TDV prevention most often focus on the evaluation of prevention programs in school and community settings. Much less is known about the effects of policy on TDV prevalence. This study tests a model to explain whether stronger laws regarding TDV, specifically civil protection orders, have an impact on TDV rates in states. Results show that stronger policy, Democratic party control of the governor's office, and higher state median income are associated with lower rates of TDV. This study provides solid information regarding the role of civil protection orders as a means of TDV prevention and adds to our knowledge of the efficacy of state-level TDV policy. The information can lead to increased vigor on the part of advocates to strive for specific provisions in the law and to work for gubernatorial candidates who will support such laws.
authors.affiliation: Center for Advocacy, Nonprofit and Donor Organizations, School of Social Work, University of Texas at Arlington, Box 19129, 211 S. Cooper Street, Arlington, TX 76019-0129, United States.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hoefer
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, University of Texas at Arlington, Box 19129, 211S. Cooper Street, Suite 313A, Arlington, TX 76019-0129, United States. Electronic address: beverlyblack@uta.edu.
authors.forename: Beverly
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Black
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology, University of Texas at Arlington, Box 19227, 701 Planetarium Place, Arlington, TX 76019-0129, United States.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ricard
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000066511:Intimate Partner Violence / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D011057:Politics; D015995:Prevalence; D011640:Public Policy; D013219:State Government; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Civil protection orders; Comparative state policy; Dating violence; State policy; Teen dating violence