NCJ Number
217344
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 13 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2007 Pages: 172-189
Date Published
February 2007
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This study examined the attitudes of Latino ninth graders regarding help seeking and help giving related to dating violence.
Abstract
Latino teenagers reported that they were more likely to seek help for dating violence from friends rather than the adults in their social networks. Latino teenagers were unlikely to seek help from formal support sources, such as health professionals or police officers, and were unlikely to intervene in another teenager’s dating violence situation. Participants reported that the type of help they provided to peers experiencing dating violence was limited to listening to them and providing emotional support rather than concrete suggestions for action. The findings suggest a pressing need to educate youth on how they can help themselves and others who are experiencing an abusive relationship. The development of culturally appropriate programming will be a key component to the success of any intervention programming aimed at ethnic groups. Data included both self-administered survey responses and focus group interviews. Surveys were conducted in 2 waves across 2 academic years in schools across the Los Angeles area. Completed surveys were collected from 1,655 individuals, 91 percent of whom were Latino. Focus groups were conducted at the end of the first year of survey data collection and were conducted with 43 students (22 boys and 21 girls) to assess their understanding and attitudes regarding violence and abuse. Survey data were analyzed statistically while focus group data were transcribed and coded according to emerging themes. Limitations of the research are noted and include a relatively small sample size of participants who had any dating experience. Tables, references