NCJ Number
181268
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2000 Pages: 6-36
Editor(s)
Claire M. Renzetti
Date Published
2000
Length
31 pages
Annotation
This qualitative exploratory study used discussion groups with 24 Canadian teenagers to cast new light on aggression in teenage dating relationships.
Abstract
Focus groups allowed the in-depth investigation of aggression with a small group of participants. Four groups of participants were recruited from a teenage drop-in center in Quebec City. The first discussion group consisted of five girls who were 14 or 15 years old, the second group consisted of four boys aged 16 to 18 years, the third group consisted of five girls aged 15 to 19 years, and the fourth group consisted of four boys aged 14 to 16 years. The discussions, recorded and transcribed verbatim, showed violence is present in numerous ways, and that teenage explanatory models attribute part of the responsibility to victims. Teenagers indicated that individual, couple, and social factors, such as the influence of peers and pornography, had an influence on teenage dating relationships and aggression. The authors believe that future research should study forms of abuse specific to teenagers and prevention programs should address both consensual and nonconsensual violence in sexual relationships. Overall, the study demonstrated the wide variety of teenage violent dating experiences and confirmed the inadequacy of considering teenagers as a homogeneous group. 56 references