Teen dating violence (TDV) has well-documented detrimental health effects. Scant research has examined the perspectives of ethnically diverse youth about the impact of culture on TDV. We sought to explore the intersection between culture and TDV specifically for South Asian adolescents residing in the US. We conducted semi-structured interviews with South Asian adolescents aged 16-21. The interview guide had three parts: 1) exploring participants’ perspectives on TDV and healthy relationships within the South Asian community; 2) examining how different components of their cultural identity impact their romantic relationships; and 3) understanding ideas for TDV prevention programs for South Asian youth. Interview transcripts were coded using thematic analysis. Twenty-five adolescent females participated; the majority (76%) trace their heritage to India, were born abroad (62%), and are in college (80%). The majority believed that dating was stigmatized within the South Asian community, forcing youth to hide relationships from their parents. Participants described aspects of culture that may negatively impact relationships (e.g. patriarchal attitudes and fear of stigma), as well as those that may protect teens (e.g. close-knit community). Conflicts about dating due to generational differences were also discussed. Adolescents suggested programs for South Asian youth focused on engaging parents in conversations about TDV and promoting gender equity. About half thought TDV prevention programs should be culturally-tailored for South Asian youth, while others believed multicultural programs would be more effective. Although South Asian culture may confer some protection for youth experiencing TDV, stigma against dating and generational differences may create unique challenges. Future work should examine how to mediate parent-adolescent cultural conflicts around dating. / 2019-10-23T00:00:00Z

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Loss to follow-up (LTF) is an important issue that can affect the validity of longitudinal studies. Further, LTF among adolescent study participants may be predicted by variables such as substance use, educational attainment, and demographic information. The purpose of this study was to determine if alcohol or marijuana use, high school completion, or demographic information was correlated with LTF among adolescent participants in the Real Talk Study. The Real Talk study is a randomized control trial that employs a brief motivational interview intervention in a clinical setting to reduce perpetration of teen dating violence (TDV) in Boston. Current participants of the Real Talk study who were eligible for follow up comprised the study sample (N=127). Baseline characteristics on age, gender, race/ethnicity, high school completion, alcohol use, and marijuana use were analyzed using Pearson’s Chi Square, and the level of significance set to p < 0.10. A post-hoc analysis was conducted on frequency of alcohol use using Pearson’s Chi Square. Of the total sample, 13% were LTF (n=17). The results of the analyses indicated that there was a statistically significant difference between those LTF and those retained for gender and drinking 6 or more drinks of alcohol per occasion. Females were more likely to be LTF than males (p<0.10), and those participants who responded “never” or “less than monthly” to the question, “how many times do you drink 6 or more drinks per occasion?” were more likely to be retained, or less likely to be LTF (p<0.10) than those who responded differently. While some of the results were consistent with the literature, it is also possible that the follow-up procedure for Real Talk ensured that there were minimal differences in LTF.

Teen dating violence (TDV) affects nearly one third of adolescents in the United States and is increasingly one of the largest public health concerns of health researchers and practitioners. Parent involvement, and specifically messages communicated to children about healthy and unhealthy relationships, has potential to be a vital element of TDV prevention and intervention. Researchers have demonstrated that parent-adolescent communication has significant effects on adolescent risky behavior, but the effect of parent-adolescent communication on TDV has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between mother-daughter communication quality, mothers' and daughters' beliefs about unhealthy relationships, and the dating violence experienced by adolescents. The sample was 58 adolescent daughters recruited from three rural Oregon high schools and their mothers. Self-report and observational data were collected from daughters and their mothers. It was hypothesized that (1) daughters' dating beliefs mediate the relationship between mothers' dating beliefs and daughters' experienced TDV, (2) mother-daughter communication quality mediates the relationship between mothers' dating beliefs and daughter's dating beliefs, and (3) mother-daughter communication quality mediates the relationship between mothers' dating beliefs and daughter's TDV. Structural equation modeling was used to test three path models where mother-daughter communication was represented by three different measures: daughters' report of having a quality conversation with their mother about dating in the past year, daughters' disagreement during observed mother-daughter communication, and daughters' disagreement during observed mother-daughter communication about dating. All three models were a good fit with the data, and significant associations were found between measures of mother-daughter communication, daughters' beliefs about dating, and daughters' experienced dating violence. Implications of this study include mother-daughter communication, perhaps a representation of a larger construct of mother-daughter relationship quality, as a point of intervention for adolescent girls' experiences of dating violence. Future research and clinical studies are required to further examine the relationships between parent-adolescent communication and TDV and the potential affect that parents may have on rates and experiences of TDV.

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Bakgrund: Våld i nära relationer är ett stort folkhälsoproblem världen över. Studier visar idag att våld inom nära relationer är mest förekommande bland ungdomar (13-24 år). I Sverige har relativt lite forskning gjort specifikt på ungdomars våldsutövande och utsatthet. En viktig del inför framtida studier och våldspreventionsprogram är att skapa en förståelse för svenska ungdomars uppfattning om våld i nära relationer.  Syfte: Syftet är att undersöka unga tonåringars uppfattning och förståelse av våldshandlingar, nära relationer mellan ungdomar, och ansvar för våld i nära relationer. Metod: Datainsamling skedde genom tre separata fokusgruppsintervjuer (n=13). Intervjuerna var semistrukturerade och utgick från en studiespecifik intervjuguide. Resultat: Enligt informanterna har ungdomar ofta inofficiella romantiska relationer. De uppvisade stor kunskap om kontrollerande våld, men nämnde inte sexuellt våld som en våldsform. De uttryckte sympati för individer som utsätts för våld, och tog uttryckligt avstånd från våldsutövande. De framhävde även vikten av att respektera den våldsutsatta ungdomens autonomi. Trots deras initiala avståndstagande från våldsutövande uppvisade informanterna ofta en ambivalens och tenderade även att skambelägga den våldsutsatta när våldet kontextualiserats. Slutsats: Våldspreventionsprogram bör fokusera på att utbilda svenska ungdomar om samtliga våldsformer, och poängtera att våldshandlingar är oacceptabla oberoende situation eller intention. Vuxna som möter ungdomar som upplevt våld bör stödja ungdomen i att lämna relationen och visa respekt för att ungdomars nära relationer kan se annorlunda än vuxnas. / Background: Inter partner violence is a significant public health concern globally. Recent studies show that inter partner violence is most prevalent among adolescents (13-24 years). In Sweden, the research on the subject is somewhat limited. An important focus for future studies is to create an understanding of Swedish adolescents' perception of inter partner violence.  Aim: The study examined adolescents’ perception and understanding of romantic partnership between adolescents, violent behaviour and responsibility for inter partner violence. Method: Data collection took place through three separate focus group interviews (n = 13). The interviews were semi-structured and were based on a study-specific interview guide.  Results: According to the informants, adolescents often have unofficial romantic relationships. They showed great knowledge of coercion, but never mentioned sexual violence as a type of violence. They expressed sympathy for victims of inter partner violence, and emphasised the importance of respecting the autonomy of adolescents exposed to violence. Despite their initial disapproval of perpetration of violence, the informants often showed ambivalence and victim blaming tendencies when the violence was contextualised. Conclusion: Violence prevention programs should focus on educating Swedish adolescents about all types of violence, and emphasise that all acts of violence are unacceptable regardless of situation and/or intention. Adults who interact with adolescents who have experienced dating violence should be emotionally supportive and be understanding of the fact that adolescents' significant relationships may look different than adults’.

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