How Female High School Seniors with a Long Trajectory of Aggression Move from Romance to Violence in Dating Relationships: A Developmental Model

Background and Purpose:  The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the process of dating violence—how it starts, develops, and ends—among female high school seniors who have a long trajectory of dating aggression.  Dating violence is a phenomenon of concern because involvement in romantic relationships is an important step for adolescents in their journey to adulthood.  Teen dating violence (TDV) refers to any form of violence that occurs with a current or former dating partner and includes physical aggression, sexual violence (e.g., unwanted sexual touching, sexual coercion, rape) and psychological/emotional abuse, such as threats and isolation from friends and family.  Results from the 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) indicated that TDV is relatively common among high school students.  Although males experience violence in romantic relationships, females report being the victim of physical, psychological, and sexual violence more frequently than boys.  Moreover, females also more frequently report injuries due to partner violence than do males.  For this reason, our study focused on females’ experience of dating violence.  Understanding how violence escalates, and the context in which it occurs, may provide insights into effective prevention strategies that will interrupt the cycle of violence in teen dating relationships.

Methods:  We collected data as part of Healthy Teens, a longitudinal, mixed-methods study funded by the Centers for Disease Control, that followed a cohort of 657 students from sixth to twelfth grade.  Students attended one of nine middle schools, which fed into eight high schools in Northeast Georgia.  Every spring, students completed a survey about physical and psychological violence (victimization and perpetration).  We identified students who consistently reported high levels of TDV across the seven years.  We invited 12 females (8 Black, 4 White; randomly sampled and racially representative of the student population) to participate in 60-90-minute individual interviews.  The interviews, conducted at the participants’ schools, were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim.  Students received a US$30 gift card for their participation.  Our university’s Institutional Review Board, and the students’ respective school districts, approved all research procedures.  Data were analyzed during the constant comparative method.

Results:  Data analysis revealed the following process, which is depicted in a detailed model.  The ROMANCE, short in duration, is characterized by euphoric emotions, caring behaviors, and frequent communication (multiple times a day).  A period of TRANSITION, variable in length, follows where relationship dissatisfaction surfaces and signs of conflict emerge.  Growing dissatisfaction provides fertile ground for JEALOUSLY, which spawns ACCUSATIONS OF INFIDELITY (peers play a prominent role) and CONTROLLING BEHAVIORS.  This intensely emotional time is followed by DISEQUILIBRIUM, which manifests as LOSS OF INDEPENDENCE, LOSS OF CONTROL, AND LOSS OF TRUST.  Subsequently, VIOLENCE ensues and is followed by REGRET (mainly) and SHAME (to a lesser degree)

Conclusions and Implications: The process by which dating violence unfolds must be understood within the context of students’ lives.  Culturally-sensitive prevention programs with a focus on social and emotional health (e.g., establishing personal boundaries, emotion regulation) should be developed for specific populations, differentiated by gender, race/ethnicity, and other cultural and economic considerations.