Forms of Victimization: Dating Violence in Adolescent Relationships Associated with Depressive Symptoms

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However, there has been other literature pertaining other information that does not simply correlate with depressive symptoms or other forms of health factors, as it suggests an association between early exposure to violence perpetration of dating violence, and relationship satisfaction (Godbout, Daspe, Lussier, Sabourin, Dutton & Hébert 2017). Godbout and his colleagues suggest that due to learning theory a person’s behavioral responses are learned through observation by observing others behaviors such as witnessing or experiencing abuse within the family teaches the child to believe that violence can be used as a conflict resolution strategy or as a means to have control over an intimate partner. Of course, there are other risk factors implemented as well such as anxiety and depressive symptoms, but they have mainly taken into consideration the idea of creating bonds with others through attachment. They found that witnessing or experiencing violence in childhood can lead to develop insecure attachment styles. They also hypothesized that the results observed by an adult couple will be replicated in a model associating childhood exposure to violence and insecure romantic attachment as well as perpetration of relationship violence. The results of their study supported their hypothesis as being the victim of violence or witnessing violence in an early age regarding to attachment figures such as parents increased potential relational trauma.

Exposure to violence can also lead to various stress generated events affecting an adolescents health such as childhood abuse and neglect as it can be strongly related to depression. Which leads researchers to predict that stress generation hypothesis is associated with an individuals generation of stressful life events (Harkness, Lumley & Truss, 2007). The stress generation hypothesis has been a helpful tool in order to explain why individuals with a history of depression subsequently generate stress. Variables pertaining to that of stress generations is due to childhood neglect that include factors of exposure to violence and victimization leading to peer rejection and social withdrawal within adolescents. Harkness and her colleagues suggest that due to stress generation it plays a major key role in the recurrence of depression with the stress generation hypothesis. However, there was not much empirical research relating to how childhood maltreatment was associated with interpersonal stress following depression which clearly pointed out within the study of the lack of evidence regarding to that particular issue.

Therefore, it can stated that the different types of violence among adolescents is still not fully understood as it has many complex factors related to it.

The Present Study

There is a great amount of literature regarding that of depressive symptoms being one of the various forms of factors that contribute to that of dating violence among adolescents. Studies consistently show that depressive symptoms correlated with other factors such as substance/drug use, early exposure, risky sexual behavior, and stress related situations to lead adolescents to negative outcomes relating to their health both physically and emotionally/ mentally. Rizzo and colleagues (2011) suggest such evidence as their main goal was to study the association between dating violence victimization and unprotected sex as well as to test other factors relating to that of dating violence. Gender had an important role in this study, when gender was held constant dating violence was associated to a higher probability of engaging in unprotected sex, and when relationships between dating victimization and unprotected sex acts where tested depressive symptoms had a huge impact in a participant’s self-efficacy for condom use.

Other studies have suggested how little empirical research there has been concerning gender as there has been research that has attempted to determine whether there are gender differences in psychological responses to violence exposure. As studies suggest that females may develop more depressive symptoms than males in response to violence exposure (Mendelson, Turner, & Tandon, 2010). Which leads me to predict that there will be a positive association between dating violence victimization and depression as dating victimization is associated with feelings of powerlessness which is associated to greater depression. The goal of the study is to provide additional empirical data concerning the implications of depression in a more diverse sample relating to that of face and gender differences that have been found in many of the previous studies presented.

References

Bonomi, A. E., Anderson, M. L., Nemeth, J., Rivara, F. P., & Buettner, C. (2013). History of dating violence and the association with late adolescent health. BMC Public Health, 13(1). DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-13-821

Chiodo, D., Crooks, C. V., Wolfe, D. A., Mcisaac, C., Hughes, R., & Jaffe, P. G. (2011). Longitudinal Prediction and Concurrent Functioning of Adolescent Girls Demonstrating Various Profiles of Dating Violence and Victimization. Prevention Science, 13(4), 350-359. DOI: 10.1007/s11121-011-0236-3

Godbout, N., Daspe, M., Lussier, Y., Sabourin, S., Dutton, D., & Hébert, M. (2017). Early exposure to violence, relationship violence, and relationship satisfaction in adolescents and emerging adults: The role of romantic attachment. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 9(2), 127-137. DOI: 10.1037/tra0000136

Harkness, K. L., Lumley, M. N., & Truss, A. E. (2007). Stress Generation in Adolescent Depression: The Moderating Role of Child Abuse and Neglect. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 36(3), 421-432. DOI: 10.1007/s10802-007-9188-2

Lee, M., Reese-Weber, M., & Kahn, J. H. (2014). Exposure to family violence and attachment styles as predictors of dating violence perpetration among men and women: A mediational model. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 29, 20–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0886 260513504644

Mendelson, T., Turner, A. K., & Tandon, S. D. (2010). Violence exposure and depressive symptoms among adolescents and young adults disconnected from school and work. Journal of Community Psychology, 38(5), 607-621. doi:10.1002/jcop.20384

Rizzo, C. J., Hunter, H. L., Lang, D. L., Oliveira, C., Donenberg, G., Diclemente, R. J., & Brown, L. K. (2011). Dating Violence Victimization and Unprotected Sex Acts Among Adolescents in Mental Health Treatment. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 21(5), 825-832. DOI: 10.1007/s10826-011-9543-3

Shorey, R. C., Fite, P. J., Choi, H., Cohen, J. R., Stuart, G. L., & Temple, J.