Research on marital abuse indicates that abusive husbands attribute greater negative intent and responsibility to their partner's behavior and report greater anger arousal during conflictual situations with their partner than do nonabusive husbands (Dutton &amp; Browning, 1988; Holtzworth-Munroe &amp; Hutchinson, 1993). Research also shows that measures of anger arousal (e.g., blood pressure and heart rate) are significantly greater during situations of provocation or threat than neutral or nonprovocative situations (Smith &amp; Allred, 1989). However, research has not attempted to measure abusive and nonabusive males' anger arousal and cognitive attributions to provocative and nonprovocative partner behavior in conflictual situations. Two studies examined attributional responses and one study examined anger arousal in high and low abusive dating males to highly provocative (e.g., girlfriend is flirting with another man) or minimally provocative (e.g., girlfriend wants to talk) partner behavior. A major hypothesis was that abusive males would attribute greater negative intent and responsibility as well as evidence greater blood pressure and heart rate reactivity to their partner's behavior in provocative but not in nonprovocative situations than would nonabusive males. In Study 1, six hypothetical vignettes (4 provocative and 2 nonprovocative) of dating situations were developed or modified from existing research (Holtzworth-Munroe &amp; Hutchinson, 1993). Provocativeness of the situations was determined through pilot testing which showed that "provocative partner behavior"; yielded significantly greater attributions of negative intent and responsibility than did nonprovocative partner behavior. Undergraduate males (N = 106) were assessed for their levels of abusive relationship behaviors with the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS; Straus 1979), for their tendencies to abuse with the Propensity for Abuse Scale (PAS; Dutton, 1995b), and for their expression of anger with the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI; Spielberger, Johnson, Russell, Crane, Jacobs, &amp; Worden, 1985). Participants then listened to audio-taped situations and completed negative intent and responsibility attribution questionnaires. Results indicated that high CTS, PAS, and STAXI males attributed greater responsibility and blame to partner behavior in provocative scenes, but not in nonprovocative scenes than did low CTS, PAS, and STAXI males (p < .05). Additionally, high CTS, PAS, and STAXI males attributed greater negative intent to partner behavior in both provocative and nonprovocative scenes than did low CTS, PAS, and STAXI males (p < .05). There were no interaction effects for attributions of negative intent and responsibility based on dispositional measures and scene provocativeness. In Study 2, undergraduate males (N = 107) were screened for abusive relationship behaviors with the CTS. Screening identified 37 males as High-Abusives (n=18) and Low-Abusives (n = 19). Participants selected in the screening phase were called back and fitted with a blood-pressure cuff which recorded blood pressure and heart rate before and after each of four scenes (2 provocative and 2 nonprovocative). Following presentation of the scenes, participants completed negative intent and responsibility attribution questionnaires. Results indicated that both High- and Low-Abusives evidenced significantly greater systolic blood pressure arousal during provocative as compared to nonprovocative scenes (p<.05). Similar to Study 1, results showed that High-Abusives attributed greater negative intent and responsibility to partner behavior than did Low-Abusives (p <.05). However, blood-pressure and heart rate reactivity of High- and Low-Abusives were not significantly discrepant. The results of Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated that High-Abusives attributed greater negative intent and responsibility to partner behavior than did Low-Abusives. Study 2 also showed that provocative partner behavior produced greater increases in systolic blood pressure than nonprovocative partner behavior for both High- and Low-Abusives. Overall, these studies provided partial empirical support for the relationship between negative attributions and anger arousal to provocative partner behavior among abusive and nonabusive males. Limitations and future research directions will be discussed. / Master of Science

The unique meanings people of varying cultures and religions assign to dating behaviours/abuse along with the context in which these meanings are created are largely neglected in dating abuse research. Applying intersectionality, I examine understandings of dating behaviours/abuse from the perspective of South Asian Muslims in Canada. To unravel the context in which these perceptions are formed, I use intersecting characteristics that emerged as themes in 11 qualitative interviews, which include: individual identities, influences of South Asian Muslim and mainstream Western cultures, and personal perceptions of dating. The majority of participants used religion, cultures, and nations as identifiers, perceived their communities to be opposed to dating, and felt pressure to date stemming from Western society. I argue that these intersect to shape their personal perceptions of dating and the meanings and significance of dating behaviours/abuse, which revolved around: significance of exposure and sexual behaviours, control, relationship attachment, and psychological behaviours/abuse. / UOIT

No description available.

No description available.

This research study examined the course and effects of romantic relationships on the psychology and development of adolescents between the age of 15 and 18. Because existing literature demonstrates a high level of developmental significance to the relationships between adolescents and platonic peers, the introduction of the romantic element to teens’ social lives carries additional importance to their maturation process. There are also certain individuals and relationships that have greater likelihood of resulting in negative outcomes such as dating abuse and depression. Of eight participants, four were male and four were female, and all participants were currently 18-19 years of age and asked to reflect on relationship experiences they had between the ages of 15 and 18. The results did support the hypothesis of certain traits indicating higher likelihood of negative outcomes. Though the study lacked the empirical data to draw definitive conclusions, the trends found may provide insight into capability for greater understanding of the developmental significance of adolescent dating, thereby potentially leading to the development of more effective interventions by educators for individuals who need them.

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of social support as a moderator between dating abuse and student engagement. Informed by the positive youth development perspective and the stress-buffering model, this study will examine the effects of dating abuse victimization on student engagement and the buffering role of social support in that relationship. Specifically, this study will use self-report measures from a rural/semi-rural, high school sample and multiple regression analysis to determine the effect of dating abuse on student engagement. If a significant relationship is found between dating abuse and student engagement, this study will then use multiple regression analysis to determine the moderating effect of social support on the relationship between dating abuse and student engagement. Research on the protective effects of social support on student engagement is critical to the design and implementation of interventions which have the potential to significantly improve the health, mental health, social, and education outcomes for adolescents who have experienced dating abuse. / text

Youth violence is a major public health problem for US adolescents. Sports participation has been shown to decrease the likelihood of certain forms of youth violence, such as suicide. Using a national representative sample, the study seeks to determine the association of dating and sexual abuse victimization with sports participation. Analyses of data from the 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) suggest that sports participation is significantly associated with an increased likelihood of male dating abuse victimization. There was no significant association between sexual abuse victimization and sports participation for girls nor boys. These findings underscore the importance of evaluating contextual aspects of sports education and team dynamics that may have violence prevention potential. Primary recommendations include further research on the feasibility of disseminating youth violence prevention messaging via school and community sports, training for coaches, and rigorous evaluation of adolescent sports programs.

No description available.

No description available.

De nos jours, l’usage des outils de communication électronique chez les jeunes est largement répandu et donne lieu à de nouvelles opportunités d’exercer de violence dans les relations intimes, par exemple la surveillance, le harcèlement ou les cyberviolences sexuelles (CVS). Si beaucoup d’études ont porté sur les facteurs de risque associés à la CVS chez les jeunes, c’est-à-dire de contraindre une personne à aborder un contenu à caractère sexuel (photos ou messages) sans le consentement de la personne, peu de travaux se sont penchés sur les facteurs de protection. Plus précisément, la CVS a surtout été abordée sous l’angle des sextos, l’appréhendant comme un comportement délinquant et néfaste pour le bien-être des jeunes. S’appuyant sur un devis quantitatif, ce mémoire s’intéresse aux filles ayant vécu une expérience amoureuse et sexuelle sous un angle victimologique et cherche à documenter les facteurs de risque et principalement de protection luttant contre les CVS dans un contexte de relation intime. Un échantillon de 1 082 filles de 14 à 19 ans (âge moyen 16,7 ans) ont rempli un questionnaire en ligne, nous renseignant sur leur vie sexuelle et amoureuse, sur les événements de victimisation subis, ainsi que sur des facteurs personnels et relationnels associés. Les résultats indiquent que l’attachement romantique (types sécurisant et préoccupé), l’assertivité sexuelle (la capacité à refuser un contact sexuel non désiré et à initier un contact sexuel souhaité) et le soutien social perçu pourraient limiter les risques de vivre une CVS, alors que l’exposition à la violence familiale, une plus forte estime de soi sexuel et l’attachement craintif sont associés à un risque plus élevé. Ainsi, à la lumière de ces résultats, les programmes de prévention de la CVS devraient lutter contre la violence familiale, miser sur l’importance de développer un style d’attachement romantique sécurisant chez les adolescentes ainsi que le renforcement de l’assertivité sexuelle et l’établissement d’un réseau social de confiance. Enfin, il serait important d’accompagner les adolescentes dans l’expression de leur estime de soi sexuel qui se déploient dans leur utilisation des outils technologiques, tout en renforçant leur capacité à mettre leurs limites et en légitimant l’importance du consentement lorsqu’il est question de cybersexualité entre partenaires intimes. / Today, the use of digital communication tools among youth is widespread and new possibilities arise for cyber dating abuse such as surveillance, harassment, or sexual cyber violence (SCV). While many studies focus on risk factors linking teenagers to SCV, i-e the use of force to broach sexual content (photos or messages) without the consent of the person, few researchers have focused on protective factors. More specifically, SCV has mainly been analysed from a “sexting” perspective, a delinquent behavior which represent a threat to the well-being of the adolescents. This quantitative thesis focuses on teenage girls who had romantic and sexual experiences from a victimological viewpoint and seeks to document the risk and, primarily, the protective factors that would limit SCV. A sample of 1 082 girls between the ages of 14 and 19 (mean age 16.7) completed an online questionnaire, informing us about their sex and love life, victimization events as well as personal and relational factors. Results indicate that romantic attachment (secure and anxious attachment types), sexual assertiveness (refusal of unwanted sex and sexual intimacy initiation) and perceived social support would limit the risk of experiencing SCV while the exposure to family violence, sexual self-esteem and fearful attachment would be associated with an increased risk. Thus, SCV prevention programs should focus on family violence, rely on good practices that promote a secure romantic attachment style, reinforce sexual assertiveness and establish a social network of trust. In addition, it would be important to support adolescent girls in expressing their sexual self-esteem through digital tools while strengthening their ability to set their limits and legitimizing the importance of consent on Internet.