Prevalence of Teen Dating Violence Involvement and Associations with Internalizing Problems and Substance Use in Germany

ABSTRACT

In this study, we report on the 12-month prevalence of various dimensions of teen dating violence (TDV) victimization and perpetration (emotional, threatening, relational, physical, and sexual) among 9th-grade adolescents in Lower Saxony, Germany. We also present associations between TDV involvement and psychosocial functioning of adolescents (somatic symptoms, psychological symptoms (anxiety/depression, suicidal ideation), and substance use (alcohol and marijuana use). The data stem from a large representative student sample conducted in the year 2015, in which 10,638 9th-grade students were surveyed cross-sectionally. Among these, 4,351 reported having been in a romantic relationship within the 12 months preceding the survey (46.6% male, mean age = 15 years; SD = .76). Results show that 55.6% of the students (girls: 61.8%, boys: 48.5%) reported TDV perpetration, while 56.1% reported TDV victimization (girls: 61.9%, boys: 49.3%) at least once within the previous 12 months. Emotional violence was most frequently reported, while sexual violence was least often perpetrated and experienced. TDV involvement was furthermore significantly related to psychosocial functioning across gender, particularly for victims. The results indicate a significant degree of psychological strain associated with this phenomenon, which calls for the further implementation and dissemination of evidence-based programs that seek to reduce violence in adolescent partnerships.

KEYWORDS:

• Teen dating violence
• psychosocial functioning
• substance use
• prevalence

Disclosure of interest

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Ethical standards and informed consent

All procedures followed were in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.

The survey was authorized by the state school authorities of Lower Saxony, Germany.