Thesis (MA (Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This assignment attempts to explore how certain factors that play a role in the perpetration of dating violence among South African male adolescents are related to identity development. While there has been much investigation of the factors relating to dating violence, much less has been written about how these factors are related to the developmental tasks of adolescence. This assignment starts with a brief exploration of local and international literature on adolescent and adult dating violence. Certain factors that are considered to be particularly relevant to adolescent dating violence are then highlighted. These are exposure to trauma, alcohol and drug use, peer group influences, and aggressive and misogynist expressions of masculinity. The main focus of the thesis is then to investigate the extent to which these factors can be tied to one of the main developmental tasks of adolescence, namely identity formation. It is argued that, while adolescence is a phase in which identity is being developed, identity formation can be compromised by early exposure to aggression. This, together with the desire to imitate significant others, may lead to a re-enactment of aggression. Alternatively, it can lead to a heightened identity confusion, which may create a greater reliance on external sources, most significantly the peer group. It is possible that, for acceptance, the peer group may require an expression of masculinity that is misogynist and aggressive. Given that dating relationships are an arena in which identities are negotiated with a peer group, it is possible that the aggression that is encouraged may find expression within these dating associations. The abuse of alcohol and drugs, modelled by others in early life and encouraged by the peer group, serves to augment the likelihood of dating violence. This process is also discussed in the light of the post-Apartheid South African context. Understanding the abovementioned factors in terms of identity development has implications for empirical enquiry and prevention programmes. It is argued that research should take into account the developmental tasks of adolescence, whilst attempting to understand the unique challenges that face adolescents in South Africa. Intervention programmes should be focused on assisting adolescent males with the developmental task of identity negotiation.

The present research was undertaken to examine the role of Electronic Communication Technology (ECT) in Adolescent Dating Violence and Abuse (ADVA) or what has been termed Technology-Assisted Adolescent Dating Violence and Abuse (TAADVA) and potential correlates using a quantitative research design. This is the first detailed study of TAADVA that has been conducted with British adolescents in the United Kingdom (UK). A new set of questions to explore TAADVA was developed and piloted with adolescents using a robust framework. Adolescents (n = 469; 52% (n = 245) female; 59% (n = 277) who had past year dating relationship experience) aged 12-18 years recruited from secondary schools, youth clubs and via snowballing methods, completed a battery of questionnaires regarding their personal experience of TAADVA, physical and controlling ADVA, friend experience of ADVA and TAADVA, attachment style, relationship experience, and relationship closeness. It was found that TAADVA was prevalent (73% for victimisation and 50% for instigation across 12 types of behaviour) and was experienced via a range of ECT methods, often encompassing multiple behaviours. Although there was some overlap between ADVA and TAADVA, TAADVA was more prevalent than ADVA. Additionally, it was found that ECT appears to create new victims and/or instigators of TAADVA only as around two-thirds of adolescents who experienced TAADVA did not also experience ADVA offline. Adolescents reported experiences of TAADVA (and ADVA) victimisation and instigation. Females however, reported more sexual TAADVA victimisation (i.e. sexting pressure) and victimisation-only experiences of sexual TAADVA than did males. Females involved in TAADVA and ADVA reported having more friends with dating violence experience (as either victims or instigators). In contrast, only males who reported ADVA involvement reported having more friends who instigated dating violence. Avoidant attachment independently predicted TAADVA involvement for males, and further analysis revealed that TAADVA involved males reported higher avoidant attachment to a mother and friend than those not involved in TAADVA. Females involved in TAADVA reported higher avoidant attachment to a mother and father and this was also the case for ADVA in terms of anxious attachment. Furthermore, avoidant attachment to mother mediated the relationship between friend historical dating violence (victimisation and instigation) and self-reported TAADVA for females. Moreover, paternal anxious attachment mediated the relationship between friend current dating violence instigation and self-reported ADVA for females. Implications of the findings are discussed and recommendations are made for future policy, practice and research.

Peer and dating violence perpetration and victimization are common experiences placing adolescents at-risk for maladaptive outcomes, yet little research has focused on specific problematic situations associated with these types of violence and other related risk-taking behaviors. Further, prevention programs have typically focused on changing beliefs, attitudes, and skill-deficits, with little attention to adolescents’ motivations or perceptions of costs and benefits associated with risky situations, despite support for this type of research in other health-related fields (e.g., substance abuse, behavioral medicine). The current study assessed adolescents’ perceptions of potential positive and negative outcomes associated with risky dating and peer situations, many of which may increase youths’ risks for violence perpetration or victimization. Interviews were conducted with 82 predominantly African American adolescents living in an urban setting. At the conclusion of qualitative coding, 17 and 13 themes were identified for risky dating and peer situations, respectively. Content within these themes included potential positive and negative outcomes and associated processes and contextual factors identified by youth, across topics such as aggression, victimization, and other risks for physical or psychological harm; interpersonal and intrapersonal processes associated with dating and peer relationships (e.g., communication, emotion, respect, pressure); and more concrete costs and benefits for youth (e.g., gain or loss of financial or material goods, opportunities for fun things to do). This research has important implications for improving the ecological relevance and credibility of youth violence prevention programs, and the discussion of decisional balances of potential costs and benefits may represent important targets for prevention programs.

Adolescent dating violence is a prevalent and disconcerting reality for many adolescents. Communication with others (e.g., parents, older siblings, friends) about dating violence may buffer some negative outcomes associated with experiencing dating violence. Although researchers are attending more to this public health problem, what we know about the messages that adolescents receive about dating violence is limited, especially for Latina teens. To address this gap in the literature, 18 Latina adolescents (14-17 years) and their mothers participated in semi-structured interviews to explore their beliefs about what dating violence means to them, messages that are shared about dating violence with mothers and friends, adolescents’ help seeking preferences and behaviors, and reasons for and against talking with parents about problems in dating relationships. Interviews were transcribed and coded for emergent themes. Participants described many examples of problems in dating relationships including some traditional forms of dating violence (e.g., physical harm) and some advancing forms of dating abuse (e.g., aggression through social media). Messages that Latina adolescents receive from parents and friends include advice to “try to work it out or get out of the relationship” and “talk to someone.” Barriers to seeking help from parents and others included “worry about parent’s response” and “lack of closeness or trust.” Themes of supports to seeking help from parents and others included having a “close and trusting relationship” and having had “an established pattern of communication.” Latina adolescents also suggested they may prefer to seek help for problems in dating situations from friends and older siblings. Results suggest that Latina adolescents and their mothers may be knowledgeable about problems in dating situations. However, the messages that Latina adolescents receive differs by who is giving the message and Latina teens may hesitate talking to their parents about problems in dating if they fear negative parental reactions or they do not sense that parents can effectively facilitate the conversations. Given that many victims of dating violence do not tend to disclose their dating problems or seek help, these results highlight the importance of educating parents on how to promote open and effective communication. Results also highlight the importance of informing peers and siblings on how to respond when their friends/siblings experience dating problems. Finally, results suggest implications for primary prevention programs guided by support for culturally tailored interventions.

The purpose of this study was to explore the stress-eating relation established in the literature by examining a naturally occurring stressor, adolescent dating violence, and its effect on eating in adolescent girls. Specifically, analyses focused on assessing the mediating role of depression in the adolescent dating violence-fruit and vegetable intake relation and the moderating role of sports team involvement in the adolescent dating violence-depression relation. A nationally representative sample of 5,892 black, Hispanic, and white adolescent girls were surveyed using measures assessing physical and sexual dating violence experiences, depressed affect, suicidal thoughts, plans, and/or attempts, fruit and vegetable intake and involvement in team sports. This study supported the hypothesis that depression mediates the relation between adolescent dating violence and dietary intake, but only in black adolescent girls. These findings suggest that black girls victimized by dating violence experience depression, which may affect their desire or motivation to eat properly. This study also supported the hypothesis that sports team involvement, a source of social support and physical activity, moderated the relation between adolescent dating violence and depression and suicidality, but only for white adolescent girls. For this group, participating on a sports team served to protect those girls reporting dating violence from experiencing depression at the high rate reported by those dating violence victims not involved on a sports team. The findings presented in this study provide evidence that depression explains how experiences of dating violence affect eating behavior for a high-risk group, black adolescent girls. Recognizing depression’s contribution to this group’s high rate of obesity and overweight is an important step in preventing obesity and obesity-related outcomes in this population. Also, this study highlights an important source of social support, sports team involvement, and its potential to protect dating violence victims from experiencing depression and suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts.

The relations among physical and sexual abuse, alcohol and drug use, and dating violence were investigated in a sample of female juvenile delinquents. Various reasons for drinking and their associations with frequency of alcohol use were also explored. Data used in the current investigation were obtained at a state correctional facility for female juveniles in Indiana. The results indicated that physical and sexual abuse were associated with dating victimization in this sample. Further, greater frequency of drug use was associated with having a greater number of abusive romantic partners after controlling for total number of partners. The reasons for drinking assessed in this study differentially predicted frequency of alcohol use. Race/ethnicity differences were detected for several of the variables under investigation and these results are compared to the findings of prior empirical studies. The implications of these findings for future research and for meeting the specific programming needs of female juvenile delinquents are discussed.

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Sebbene lo sviluppo di relazioni sentimentali sia un esperienza normativa dell’adolescenza, diversi fattori di rischio connessi ad essa possono sfociare in problemi per l’adattamento e la salute dell’adolescente. L’esperienza sentimentale in adolescenza non può essere considerata come un percorso lineare, ma dovrebbe essere studiata come un percorso dove diversi di fattori interagiscono l’un l’altro, comportando esiti diversi in base a variabili individuali e contestuali. Inoltre, lo sviluppo di relazioni sentimentali è un processo “in divenire”, pertanto possono emergere e coesistere aspetti di incoerenza. La tesi parte da queste riflessioni, considerando aspetti normativi e atipici dell’esperienza sentimentale in adolescenza. Il lavoro è diviso in due studi principali. Il primo tratta di due esperienze non normative: l’Adolescent Dating Violence (capitolo I) e il Sexting (capitolo II), con l’obiettivo di identificarne i fattori associati. Il secondo studio si focalizza sul costrutto di Competenza Romantica. Il modello skill-based di Competenza Romantica può fornire una cornice teorica utile per la concettualizzazione e la valutazione dell’esperienza romantica considerandone la complessità. Inoltre, una misura specifica di tale costrutto viene descritta e valutata (capitoli III e IV). Infine l’associazione tra Competenza Romantica, Adolescent Dating Violence e Sexting viene indagata preliminarmente (capitolo V). / Despite the development of romantic relationships is a normative experience of adolescence, several risk factors connected to the this experience may lead to problems for adolescents’ adjustment and health. The adolescent romantic experience cannot be considered as a linear way, rather it should be studied as a path where an interplay of factors leads to several different outcomes basing on personal and contextual characteristics. Also, the development of the romantic experience is an “in-progress path”, thus inconsistencies may emerge and coexist. The dissertation starts from this reflection, considering both normative and non-normative aspects of the adolescent romantic experience. The work is divided in two main studies. The first one, is focused on two non-normative experiences: Adolescent Dating Violence (chapter I) and Sexting (chapter II). The main aim is to identify factors that can be associated to those phenomena. The second study deals with the construct of Romantic competence and a specific measure to assess it is evaluated. The skill-based model of Romantic competence is a theoretical framework useful to both conceptualize and evaluate the romantic experience considering its complexity (chapter III and IV). Finally the association between Romantic competence, Adolescent Dating Violence and Sexting is preliminarily explored (chapter V).

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