ABUSE MAGAZINE
Victims and Perpetrators : What the Research Says
In 2001-2005 , Peggy Giordano and her colleagues at Bowling Green State University interviewed more than 1,300 seventh , ninth and 11th graders in Toledo , Ohio . [ Editor ’ s Note : Giordano is one of the authors of this article .] More than half of the girls in physically aggressive relationships said both they and their dating partner committed aggressive acts during the relationship . About a third of the girls said they were the sole perpetrators , and 13 percent reported that they were the sole victims . Almost half of the boys in physically aggressive relationships reported mutual aggression , nearly half reported they were the sole victim , and 6 percent reported that they were the sole perpetrator .
These findings are generally consistent with another study that looked at more than 1,200 Long Island , N . Y ., high school students who were currently dating . In that 2007 survey , 66 percent of boys and 65 percent of girls who were involved in physically aggressive relationships reported mutual aggression . Twenty-eight percent of the girls said that they were the sole perpetrator ; 5 percent said they were the sole victim . These numbers were reversed for the boys : 5 percent said they were the sole perpetrator ; 27 percent the sole victim .
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Who Perpetrates Teen Dating Violence ?
In a third study , teen couples were videotaped while performing a problem-solving task . Researchers later reviewed the tapes and identified acts of physical aggression that occurred between the boys and girls during the exercise . They found that 30 percent of all the participating couples demonstrated physical aggression by both partners . In 17 percent of the participating couples , only the girls perpetrated physical aggression , and in 4 percent , only the boys were perpetrators . The findings suggest that boys are less likely to be physically aggressive with a girl when someone else can observe their behavior .
Considered together , the findings from these three studies reveal that frequently there is mutual physical aggression by girls and boys in romantic relationships . However , when it comes to motivations for using violence and the consequences of being a victim of teen dating violence , the differences between the sexes are pronounced . Although both boys and girls report that anger is the primary motivating factor for using violence , girls also commonly report self-defense as a motivating factor , and boys also commonly cite the need to exert control . Boys are also more likely to react with laughter when their partner is physically aggressive . Girls experiencing teen dating violence are more likely than boys to suffer long-term negative behavioral and health consequences , including suicide attempts , depression , cigarette smoking and marijuana use .
Applying Adult Perspectives to Teen Dating Violence
Why do teenagers commit violence against each other in romantic relationships ? We have already touched on the existing body of research on perpetration and victimization rates . Yet there is not a great deal of research that uses a longitudinal perspective or that considers the dynamics of teen romantic relationships . As a result , practitioners and researchers in the field tend to apply an adult intimate partner violence framework when examining the problem of teen dating violence .
A split currently exists , however , among experts in the adult intimate partner violence arena , and attendees at the DOJ-HHS teen dating workshop mirrored this divide .
Some experts hold that men and women are mutually combative and that this behavior should be seen as part of a larger pattern of family conflict . Supporters of this view generally cite studies that use “ act ” scales , which measure the number of times a person perpetrates or experiences certain acts , such as pushing , slapping or hitting . These studies tend to show that women report perpetrating slightly more physical violence than men . It is interesting to note that most studies on teen dating violence that have been conducted to date have relied primarily on “ act ” scales .
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