Exploring dating practices and acceptability of a dating violence program with Karen youth

ABSTRACT

Teen dating violence (TDV) negatively impacts the health of youth in the United States and internationally, but we know little about dating violence among resettled refugee adolescents in the United States. We conducted a focus group with six Karen refugee youth to learn about dating practices and determine acceptability of a TDV prevention program curriculum, as a first step in addressing TDV in this community. Five themes emerged from the youth’s discussion related to: (1) gender roles, (2) dating practices, (3) healthy vs. unhealthy relationships, (4) acceptability of a TDV prevention program, and (5) acculturation. Findings indicate that gender roles and parents play important roles in youth’s views on dating practices. Youth shared the importance of communication in healthy relationships. Results indicated that Karen youth will likely participate in a TDV prevention program but acculturation may influence participants’ level of sharing. Future research is needed to examine the effects of a prevention program with this population.

KEYWORDS:

• Adolescents
• refugees
• teen dating violence

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Simmons Foundation and the University of Texas at Arlington School of Social Work [Innovative Community Academic Partnership (iCAP)].