Longtitudinal investigation in the Risk and Protective Factors of Dating Violence

描述（由申请人提供）：每年大约有25%的美国青少年受到约会对象的身体、心理或性虐待。约会暴力的受害者会经历一系列毁灭性的后果，包括急性和慢性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个人在成年亲密关系中继续这种行为的风险更高。预防这种形式的暴力不仅可以改善青少年的健康和生活，而且有可能遏制家庭暴力的普遍存在及其后果。尽管有这些关键的需求，但明显缺乏理论驱动和基于研究的预防方案，并且对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时间发展的数据很少。例如，心理虐待是否先于身体暴力？身体暴力是否先于性侵犯？发展方面的信息对于确定有约会暴力风险的青年并最终防止暴力行为的发生和升级将是非常宝贵的。为了解决这些问题和文献中的空白，我建议进行一项纵向研究，评估来自不同种族和社会经济背景的青少年的约会暴力行为和受害情况，以及可改变的风险和保护因素。参与者将从标准高中和另类高中招募。约会史、约会暴力经历（施暴者和受害者）以及潜在的可改变风险和保护因素将在基线和之后的1年和2年进行评估。总共将招募500名参与者，这将提供足够的统计力量来实现本研究的主要目的。这个K23奖的总体目标是：(1)提高我对暴力预防领域的知识和扩展我的研究，(2)为制定约会暴力预防计划提供坚实的基础，该计划将明确针对已确定的风险和保护因素。这次的研究性学习将使我能够运用我现有的知识和技能基础来学习与预防研究相关的技术和实践问题，使我能够从真正发展的角度来看待未来的研究工作。

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.