NCJ Number
206288
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 10 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2004 Pages: 790-811
Date Published
July 2004
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This article reports on the methodology and findings of the International Dating Violence Study, which determined the rates of violence against dating partners by students at 31 universities in 16 countries (5 in Asia and the Middle East, 2 in Australia-New Zealand, 6 in Europe, 2 in Latin America, and 16 in North America).
Abstract
For the purposes of the survey, "dating" was defined as a "dyadic relationship involving meeting for social interaction and joint activities with an explicit or implicit intention to continue the relationship until one or the other party terminates or until some other more committed relationship is established (e.g., cohabiting, engagement, or marriage)." The International Dating Violence Study is being conducted by members of a research consortium located at universities in every major world region. Members of the consortium administered the dating-violence questionnaire to students at their respective universities. The number of cases at each of the 31 sites ranged from 132 to 741, with a mean of 279. The questionnaires were usually administered in classes taught by members of the consortium and in other classes for which they could make arrangements. Respondents thus constituted a convenience sample that was not representative of students in general. Physical assault and injury were measured by the Conflict Tactics Scales2, which provides separate scores for "minor" and "severe" assaults and injury. Measures of respondent characteristics focused on gender, socioeconomic status, social desirability, age, and relationship length. At the median university, the survey found that 29 percent of the students had physically assaulted a dating partner in the previous 12 months. There were large differences between universities, with the percentage of offenders ranging from 17 percent to 45 percent. Male and female students were similar in the proportion who physically assaulted a partner (25 percent of men and 28 percent of women at the median university). At the median university, almost 7 percent of the students inflicted an injury on a dating partner. The acceptance of violence as a means of controlling the behavior of intimate partners and family members was prevalent among those who engaged in dating violence. Construct validity and study limitations are discussed. 3 tables and 37 references