How Age Of First Dating Experience, Number Of Dating Partners, And Length Of Relationship Relates To Dating Violence Victimization
Abstract
Dating violence is a serious social and health problem for young adolescent in many parts of the world. The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between three independent variables: (1) age of first dating experience; (2) number of dating partners; and (3) length of dating relationships with one dependent variable: (1) dating violence victimization among African American middle school youths. A review of the literature indicated conflicting results regarding the relationship between each independent variable and the dependent variables. One-way ANOVA was used to identify the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The results of this analyses indicated that age of first dating experience and length of relationship were not significantly related to dating violence victimization. However, the number of dating partners was identified to be significantly related to dating violence victimization for girls. Findings from this study indicate the need for further research to research the relationship between dating characteristics and levels of victimization with diverse samples of youth. Limitations of the study and implications for future research, social work practice, and policy are discussed.