Adolescent Dating Violence Victimization and Psychological Well-Being

This study assesses the relationship between adolescents' dating violence victimization and their psychological well-being. The participants were 190high school students, ages 13 to 19 years, with just over half being boys (53%) and the remainder being girls (47%). Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires. For girls, increasing levels of dating violence (severity, frequency, injury) were related to higher levels of post-traumatic stress and dissociation, even after controlling for demographic, family violence, and social desirability variables. For boys, the levels of victimization were related to higher levels of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress, even after controlling for other variables. For both boys and girls, victimization was related to lower levels of life satisfaction, but not after controlling for the demographic, family violence, and social desirability variables. The research questions and findings are discussed in relation to the developmental challenges faced by adolescents.