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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Elizabeth A. Reed, MPH¹, Anita Raj, PhD², Elizabeth Miller, MD, PhD³, Michele R. Decker, MPH⁴, Emily Rothman, ScD⁵, Jeanne E. Hathaway, MD, MPH¹, and Jay G. Silverman, PhD⁶. (1) Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Kresge 705, Boston, MA 02115, 617-432-5461, ereed@hsph.harvard.edu, (2) Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany St., T2W, Boston, MA 02118, (3) Stoeckle Center for Primary Care Innovation, Massachusetts General Hospital, 50 Staniford St., 9th Floor, Boston, MA 02114, (4) Division of Public Health Practice, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Kresge 705, Boston, MA 02115, (5) Youth Alcohol Prevention Center, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany St., Boston, MA 02118, (6) Division of Public Health Practice/Department of Society, Human Development & Health, Harvard University, 677 Huntington Ave., Kresge 705, Boston, MA 02115

Background: Approximately 1 in 5 adolescent girls experience some type of violence within dating relationships. While previous dating violence research has focused on girls who have been victims of dating violence, few studies have examined contextual factors in boys' lives who have perpetrated dating violence.

Objective: The purpose of the study is to examine societal and environmental factors among a sample of adolescent male perpetrators of teen dating violence.

Methods: Semi-structured anonymous interviews were conducted with 25 teen boys ages 15-21 years identified through community and school based programs for perpetrators of dating violence. Based on the content of interviews, codes were developed related to boys' social and environmental context. All interviews were separately coded by two researchers, compared, finalized, and analyzed to determine common themes, patterns, and examples.

Results: Boys describe a variety of social and environmental difficulties including disruptive family life (e.g. parental substance abuse, domestic violence, unstable living situation and guardianship), lack of positive male role models for future success, lack of economic security, academic trouble, as well as boys' experiences of victimization and exposure to violence.

Conclusion: While such vulnerabilities may be hypothesized as influential in determining boys' dating violence behaviors, additional research will be necessary to establish such linkages. However, current findings reveal the multitude of contextual difficulties in the lives of this sample of boys identified as perpetrators of dating violence, and suggest the need for dating violence interventions with boys to address a broad array of issues in addition to dating violence perpetration.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to

• Discuss issues related to the social and environmental life context of boys who have been identified through community and school dating violence prevention programs.
• Describe qualitative examples, provided by boys, of issues in addition to dating violence perpetration related to boys’ social and environmental context.
• Recognize areas for future teen dating violence research, intervention and prevention.

Keywords: Adolescents, Youth Violence

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered