Longtitudinal investigation in the Risk and Protective Factors of Dating Violence

描述（由申请人提供）：每年约有25%的美国青少年受到约会伴侣的身体，心理或性虐待。约会暴力的受害者经历了一系列毁灭性的后果，包括急性和慢性的精神和身体健康问题，自杀，犯罪，危险的性行为，药物滥用和学业失败。此外，在青少年关系中实施暴力和性侵犯的人在成年亲密关系中继续这种行为的风险更高。防止这种形式的暴力不仅会改善青少年的健康和生活，而且有可能遏制随后发生的家庭暴力的普遍性和后果。尽管有这些关键的需求，理论驱动和研究为基础的预防计划是明显缺乏，增加或减少青少年经历约会暴力的可能性的因素知之甚少。此外，关于不同形式的约会暴力如何随着时间的推移而发展的数据很少。例如，心理虐待是否先于身体暴力？身体暴力先于性侵犯吗？发展信息将是非常宝贵的，在确定青年在约会暴力的风险，并最终防止暴力行为的发生和升级。为了解决这些问题和文献中的差距，我建议进行一项纵向研究，评估约会暴力的犯罪和受害，以及来自种族和社会经济背景不同的青少年中可改变的风险和保护因素。参与者将从标准和替代高中招募。约会历史，约会暴力的经历（犯罪和受害），以及潜在的可改变的风险和保护因素将在基线时进行评估，并在1年和2年后进行评估。将招募共计500名受试者，这将为实现本研究的主要目的提供足够的统计效力。这个K23奖的总体目标是（1）推进我的知识，并扩大我的研究到预防暴力的领域，和（2）为制定一个约会暴力预防计划，将明确针对确定的风险和保护因素提供一个坚实的基础。拟议的研究学习将使我能够运用我目前的知识和技能基础，学习与预防研究相关的技术和实践问题，使我能够从真正的发展角度来对待未来的研究工作。 相关性：青少年约会暴力是一个巨大的公共卫生问题，导致一系列急性和慢性精神和身体健康问题。与2010年健康人的主要目标一致，本研究将确定青少年暴力行为发生和发展的重要预测因素。此外，从这项研究中获得的数据将为约会暴力预防和干预工作提供信息，最终目标是改善个人的健康和生活质量。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Approximately 25% of US teens are physically, psychologically, or sexually abused by dating partners each year. Victims of dating violence experience a host of devastating consequences, including acute and chronic mental and physical health problems, suicide, delinquency, risky sexual behavior, substance abuse, and school failure. Moreover, individuals who perpetrate violence and sexual aggression in their adolescent relationships are at a heightened risk for continuing this behavior in their adult intimate relationships. Preventing this form of violence would not only improve the health and lives of adolescents, but it would have the potential to curb the prevalence and consequences of subsequent domestic violence. Despite these critical needs, theoretically driven and research-based prevention programs are conspicuously lacking, and the factors that increase or decrease the likelihood of adolescents experiencing dating violence are poorly understood. In addition, few data exist on how the different forms of dating violence develop over time. For example, does psychological abuse precede physical violence? Does physical violence precede sexual aggression? Developmental information would be invaluable in identifying youth at risk for dating violence and to ultimately prevent the occurrence and escalation of violent behavior. To address these questions and gaps in the literature, I propose to conduct a longitudinal study assessing dating violence perpetration and victimization, and modifiable risk and protective factors in adolescents from ethnically and socioeconomically diverse backgrounds. Participants will be recruited from standard and alternative high schools. Dating history, experiences with dating violence (perpetration and victimization), and potential modifiable risk and protective factors will be assessed at baseline, and 1 and 2 years thereafter. A total of 500 participants will be recruited, which will provide sufficient statistical power to achieve the primary aims of this study. The overall objectives of this K23 award are (1) to advance my knowledge of and expand my research into the area of violence prevention, and (2) to provide a sound foundation for developing a dating violence prevention program that will explicitly target identified risk and protective factors. The proposed research study will allow me to apply my current knowledge and skill base to learning the technical and practical issues related to prevention research so I can approach future research endeavors from a truly developmental perspective. RELEVANCE: Adolescent dating violence is an enormous public health concern, resulting in a host of acute and chronic mental and physical health problems. Consistent with a primary goal of Healthy People 2010, this study will identify predictors important in the onset and development of violent behavior among adolescents. Further, data obtained from this study will inform dating violence prevention and intervention efforts, with the ultimate goal of improving individuals' health and quality of life.