Citation

Khubchandani J, Clark J, Wiblishauser M, Thompson A, Whaley C, Clark R, Davis J. Violence Gend. 2017; 4(4): 144-151.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Mary Ann Liebert Publishers)

DOI

10.1089/vio.2017.0043

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Teen dating violence (TDV) has emerged as a significant child and adolescent social and health problem. Schools are being viewed as an avenue for TDV prevention. Knowledge about school administrators' perspectives and practices on preventing and responding to TDV can help inform better practice and policymaking on TDV. A national random sample (n = 750) of high school principals in the United States were sent a valid and reliable questionnaire on TDV prevention practices (response rate = 54%). Majority of the school principals reported that: they never received formal training on TDV (68%), their school did not have a protocol to respond to an incident of TDV (76%), training to assist TDV victims was not provided to personnel in their schools in the past 2 years (62%), and the school violence prevention policy did not specifically address TDV (65%). Majority of the school principals had assisted a TDV victim in the past 2 years (57%), but most did not sanction disciplinary actions for TDV perpetrators (73%). Most of the responding principals could not answer four out of nine questions on a TDV knowledge scale. The most common ways to assist victims of TDV by school principals were: referral to school counselor (93%), informing parents or guardians (85%), and informing police or legal authorities (74%). Majority of the school principals did not believe that health teachers (53%) or peers (62%) could play a major role in assisting victims of TDV or preventing TDV. Selected predictors of whether or not a school assisted TDV victims were identified in regression analyses (e.g., training of school personnel and various school policies). School principals identified a variety of barriers to assisting TDV victims, including lack of training and appropriate protocols to respond to TDV incidents. Based on this national assessment of school principals' perspectives, current practices in schools call for greater emphasis on TDV prevention. Implications for TDV prevention practice and policy formulation are discussed based on study findings.

Language: en