Adolescent Alcohol Use and Dating Violence Perpetration: Three Studies Examining Concurrent and Longitudinal Relations Across Grades 8 Through 12

Numerous studies suggest a link between alcohol use and adult partner violence, but research on how this relationship unfolds during adolescence is limited. The three studies comprising this dissertation each used a different theoretical lens to guide an empirical examination of the relations between alcohol use and physical dating violence perpetration using data from a longitudinal study spanning grades 8 through 12. Study one (n=2272) used autoregressive latent curve models to examine several different theoretical models of the linkages between alcohol use and dating violence perpetration over time. Trajectories of alcohol use and dating violence were correlated and this correlation was reduced substantially after adjusting for the effects of common predictors. However, concurrent associations between the two behaviors persisted across nearly all grades. There was no evidence of prospective relations from alcohol use to dating violence or vice-versa. Study two (n=2311) examined the role of heavy alcohol use in the developmental process of desistance from dating violence perpetration. Growth models were used to test the hypotheses that both early and continuing alcohol use would hinder desistance from dating violence during late adolescence. Contrary to expectations, the effects of early alcohol use on dating violence diminished over time. Although the contemporaneous effects of alcohol use on dating violence were significant across most grades, effects weakened during late adolescence and were stronger in the spring than in the fall semesters. Study three (n=2311) examined the hypothesis that increased exposure to violence would strengthen the relationship between heavy alcohol use and dating violence. Growth models were used to examine the main and joint effects of alcohol use and exposure to family, peer, and neighborhood violence on levels of dating violence across grades 8 through 12. Across all grades, the relationship between alcohol use and dating violence was stronger for teens exposed to higher levels of family conflict and friend dating violence. Prevention programs that target risk factors common to both dating violence and alcohol use may reduce involvement in both behaviors. Programs that seek to reduce alcohol-related dating violence should target younger teens and those exposed to family conflict or friend dating violence

Diagnosis and disclosure of HIV status: Implications for women’s risk of physical partner violence in the postpartum period

This study prospectively examined whether HIV leads to elevated risk for intimate partner violence (IPV) for women, and how this risk varies depending on HIV status disclosure to a partner

Sexual Dating Aggression Across Grades 8 Through 12: Timing and Predictors of Onset

Investigators have identified a number of factors that increase risk for physical and psychological dating abuse perpetration during adolescence, but as yet little is known about the etiology of sexual dating aggression during this critical developmental period. This is an important gap in the literature given that research suggests that patterns of sexual dating violence that are established during this period may carry over into young adulthood. Using a sample of 459 male adolescents (76% White, 19% Black), the current study used survival analysis to examine the timing and predictors of sexual dating aggression perpetration onset across grades 8 through 12. Risk for sexual dating aggression onset increased across early adolescence, peaked in the 10th grade, and desisted thereafter. As predicted based on the Confluence Model of sexual aggression, associations between early physical aggression towards peers and dates and sexual aggression onset were stronger for teens reporting higher levels of rape myth acceptance. Contrary to predictions, inter-parental violence, prior victimization experiences, and parental monitoring knowledge did not predict sexual dating aggression onset. Findings support the notion that risk factors may work synergistically to predict sexual dating aggression and highlight the importance of rape myth acceptance as a construct that should be addressed by violence prevention programs

Modeling Variability in Individual Development: Differences of degree or kind?

The proper use of statistical models for analyzing individual change over time is critical for the progress of developmental science. Latent curve models, hierarchical linear growth models, group-based trajectory models, and growth mixture models constitute increasingly important tools for longitudinal data analysis. To facilitate their understanding and use, this paper clarifies similarities and differences between these models, with particular attention to the assumptions they make about individual development. An example shows how the results and interpretation vary across model types. Discussion centers on reviewing the strengths and limitations of each approach for developmental research

Relationship Characteristics Associated with Teen Dating Violence Perpetration

Teen dating violence (TDV) is unstable across dating relationships, suggesting that characteristics of the relationship could be related to TDV. Few empirical studies have examined these links. This study examined associations between relationship characteristics and TDV perpetration among teens and sex differences in those associations. Relationship characteristics examined include tactics used to manipulate partners; ways of responding to relationship problems; relationship duration; exclusivity of the relationship; age difference between partners; and history of sexual intercourse with partner. Data were drawn from 667 teens in a current relationship (62.5% female and 81.4% white) enrolled in the 11th or 12th grade in 14 public schools in a rural US state. Bivariate and multivariable regression analyses examined proposed associations. 30.1% and 8.2% of teens reported controlling and physical TDV perpetration, respectively. In multivariable models, frequent use manipulation tactics increased risk for controlling or physical TDV perpetration. Teens dating a partner two or more years younger were at significantly increased risk for both controlling and physical perpetration. A significant interaction emerged between sex and exit/neglect accommodation for physical TDV. Characteristics of a current dating relationship play an important role in determining risk for controlling and physical TDV perpetration

Gender Role Attitudes and Male Adolescent Dating Violence Perpetration: Normative Beliefs as Moderators

Commonly used dating violence prevention programs assume that promotion of more egalitarian gender role attitudes will prevent dating violence perpetration. Empirical research examining this assumption, however, is limited and inconsistent. The current study examined the longitudinal association between gender role attitudes and physical dating violence perpetration among adolescent boys (n=577; 14% Black, 5% other race/ethnicity) and examined whether injunctive (i.e., acceptance of dating violence) and descriptive (i.e., beliefs about dating violence prevalence) normative beliefs moderated the association. As expected, the findings suggest that traditional gender role attitudes at T1 were associated with increased risk for dating violence perpetration 18 months later (T2) among boys who reported high, but not low, acceptance of dating violence (injunctive normative beliefs) at T1. Descriptive norms did not moderate the effect of gender role attitudes on dating violence perpetration. The results suggest that injunctive norms and gender role attitudes work synergistically to increase risk for dating violence perpetration among boys; as such, simultaneously targeting both of these constructs may be an effective prevention approach

HIV status and postpartum contraceptive use in an antenatal population in Durban, South Africa

We examined contraceptive use and dual protection in the post-partum period in a Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) population and whether it varied by HIV status

Heavy Alcohol Use and Dating Violence Perpetration During Adolescence: Family, Peer and Neighborhood Violence as Moderators

We examined the hypothesis that family, peer and neighborhood violence would moderate relations between heavy alcohol use and adolescent dating violence perpetration such that relations would be stronger for teens in violent contexts. Random coefficients growth models were used to examine the main and interaction effects of heavy alcohol use and four measures of violence (family violence, friend dating violence, friend peer violence and neighborhood violence) on levels of physical dating violence perpetration across grades 8 through 12. The effects of heavy alcohol use on dating violence tended to diminish over time and were stronger in the spring than in the fall semesters. Consistent with hypotheses, across all grades, relations between heavy alcohol use and dating violence were stronger for teens exposed to higher levels of family violence and friend dating violence. However, neither friend peer violence nor neighborhood violence moderated relations between alcohol use and dating violence. Taken together, findings suggest that as adolescents grow older, individual and contextual moderators may play an increasingly important role in explaining individual differences in relations between alcohol use and dating violence. Implications for the design and evaluation of dating abuse prevention programs are discussed

The Role of Heavy Alcohol Use in the Developmental Process of Desistance in Dating Aggression during Adolescence

The current study examined the role of heavy alcohol use in the developmental process of desistance in physical dating aggression during adolescence. Using longitudinal data spanning grades 8 through 12 we tested the hypotheses that (a) higher levels of early heavy alcohol use would be associated with decreased deceleration from dating aggression during late adolescence and (b) higher levels of heavy alcohol use during time-points in late adolescence would be contemporaneously associated with elevated levels of dating aggression at those same time points. Contrary to expectations, findings indicate that the effects of both early and continuing heavy alcohol use on dating aggression were strong during early adolescence but tended to diminish over time. Unexpectedly, the contemporaneous effects of alcohol use on dating aggression were stronger in the spring than in the fall semesters. Implications for prevention and for understanding developmental relations between the two behaviors are discussed

Proximal and time-varying effects of cigarette, alcohol, marijuana and other hard drug use on adolescent dating aggression

Although numerous studies have established a link between substance use and adult partner violence, little research has examined the relationship during adolescence and most extant research has not examined multiple substance use types. The current study used hierarchical growth modeling to simultaneously examine proximal (between-person) and time-varying (within-person) relations between cigarette, alcohol, marijuana and hard drug use and physical dating aggression across grades 8 through 12 while controlling for demographic covariates and shared risk factors. Proximal effects of marijuana use on dating aggression were found for girls and proximal effects of hard drug use on dating aggression were found for boys. Time-varying effects were found for alcohol for both boys and girls and for hard drug use for boys only. Overall, findings suggest that alcohol, marijuana and hard drug use predict whether and when adolescents engage in dating aggression and should be targeted by prevention interventions