Gender and Contextual Factors in Adolescent Dating Violence

This article reports on research with students ages 13-18. Of those students who had ever dated, 36% of the girls and 37% of the boys reported they had experienced physical violence in a dating relationship. When examining the worst incident of dating violence, 47.8% of the girls reported it "hurt a lot" and 29.3% reported it caused bruises, whereas 56.2% of the boys reported it "did not hurt at all" and 34.3% reported it "hurt a little." Additionally, Dr. Molidor and his colleagues examine where it occurred and who else was present during the most violent incident. They conclude their article with implications for intervention.

Editor's Note: Don't miss our 2009 issue, Preventing Adolescent Dating Violence.