Citation

Savasuk-Luxton R, Adler-Baeder F, Haselschwerdt ML. J. Adolesc. 2018; 63: 153-164.

Affiliation

University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 420 Jesse Harris Building, Knoxville, TN, 37902, United States.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.12.012

PMID

29310008

Abstract

Relationship education (RE) targets common correlates of adolescent dating violence (ADV), such as gender role beliefs (GRB) and DV acceptance (DVA), yet few studies have evaluated the influence of RE on GRB and DVA and none have considered participants' sociodemographic characteristics. Using a sample of adolescents from the United States (Mage = 15.66 years; 58% female), this study examined pre- and post-test GRB and DVA scores of RE participants (n = 1645) compared to nonparticipants (n = 522) and explored the differential and combined effects of participants' sociodemographic characteristics on change. Black males held the most traditional GRB at pre-test, but became more egalitarian after programming. RE participation also appeared to act as a buffer against an increase in DVA for females, but not males. Study findings provide a more complex picture of the role of RE in shifting beliefs and attitudes associated with ADV and provide implications for programming.

Copyright © 2018 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Adolescent; Dating violence; Dating violence acceptance; Gender role beliefs; Relationship education