The Substance-Related Etiology of Teen Dating Violence Victimization: Does Gender Matter?

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine gender differences in the substance-related etiology of teen dating violence using a high-risk sample of urban youth. Data were obtained from 2,991 students in grade 12 who participated in Project Northland Chicago, a group-randomized alcohol prevention intervention implemented in Chicago schools. Typologies of dating violence and physical aggression were created, and hierarchical multinomial regression procedures were used to examine risk and protective factors for membership in each group. The results suggested that there were no quantifiable gender differences in dating violence victimization; however, there were substantial differences in aggression and in the reporting of both dating violence victimization and physical aggression. Furthermore, substance use (alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana) was identified as a robust risk factor for each of the typologies for women. Among men, marijuana use was associated with only the most at-risk group (e.g., the victim-offender overlap group), whereas alcohol and marijuana use predicted membership in each typology among women. Study limitations and implications are also discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• dating violence
• teens
• gender
• substance use
• victim-offender overlap

Notes

Note: No dating violence victimization and no physical aggression serves as the reference category for the dependent variable. All models control for race, gender, receipt of free or reduced price lunch, current school enrollment, age, grade point average, and parents living together in the home. Note that there was no difference by treatment condition. OR = odds ratio; CI = confidence interval.

^a No substance use is the reference category.

^† p < .10. *p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.

Note: No dating violence victimization and no physical aggression serves as the reference category for the dependent variable. Covariates that were not significantly related to aggression or victimization in the unadjusted analyses here were not included in the multivariate analysis. OR = odds ratio; CI = confidence interval.

^a No substance use is the reference category.

^b White is the reference category.

^† p < .10. *p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.

Note: No dating violence victimization and no physical aggression serves as the reference category for the dependent variable. OR = odds ratio; CI = confidence interval.

^a No substance use is the reference category.

^b White is the reference category.

^† p < .10. *p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001.