Citation

Peskin MF, Markham CM, Shegog R, Temple JR, Baumler ER, Addy RC, Hernandez B, Cuccaro P, Gabay EK, Thiel M, Emery ST. J. Youth Adolesc. 2016; 46(2): 358-375.

Affiliation

Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10964-016-0568-1

PMID

27665278

Abstract

Much is known about the prevalence and correlates of dating violence, especially the perpetration of physical dating violence, among older adolescents. However, relatively little is known about the prevalence and correlates of the perpetration of cyber dating abuse, particularly among early adolescents. In this study, using a predominantly ethnic-minority sample of sixth graders who reported ever having had a boyfriend/girlfriend (n = 424, 44.2 % female), almost 15 % reported perpetrating cyber dating abuse at least once during their lifetime. Furthermore, using a cross-sectional design, across multiple levels of the socio-ecological model, the individual-level factors of (a) norms for violence for boys against girls, (b) having a current boyfriend/girlfriend, and (c) participation in bullying perpetration were correlates of the perpetration of cyber dating abuse. Collectively, the findings suggest that dating violence interventions targeting these particular correlates in early adolescents are warranted. Future studies are needed to establish causation and to further investigate the relative importance of correlates of the perpetration of cyber dating abuse among early adolescents that have been reported among older adolescents.

Language: en