Abstract
This study sought to evaluate associations between adolescent dating violence victimization (DV) and high-risk sexual behaviors. Males (n = 71) and females (n = 189) reporting DV were compared to 671 males and 720 females (overall mean age 20.4 years) reporting no DV on high-risk sexual behaviors (casual sexual partner, multiple sexual partners, no contraceptive use, unprotected intercourse). DV was reported by 9.6% males and 20.8% females. All males reporting both physical and sexual DV acknowledged high-risk sexual behavior. Furthermore, most female peers (75.2%) reporting physical and sexual DV acknowledged high-risk sexual behavior. Health programs and care professionals should target violence prevention and contraception education, and promote early intervention to reduce high-risk sexual behaviors, particularly among those reporting dating violence.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 344-352 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 2012 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study was supported by Grant R40 MC 00319-02 (Neumark-Sztainer, principal investigator) from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (Title V, Social Security Act), Health Resources and Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services.
Copyright:
Copyright 2012 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
Keywords
- adolescent
- medical issues
- mental health
- prevention
- sexual abuse
