Mapping Teen Dating Violence: How Repetition and Relationship Power Predict Location of Victimization and Perpetration

• In Event: Children and Youth Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 1: Digital Sexualities, Media, and Identity Construction

Abstract

This study investigates the locations of teen dating violence (TDV) and how these contexts relate to identity markers, relationship power, and violence characteristics among 837 adolescents reporting at least one form of TDV. Across physical, psychological, and sexual typologies of violence, private settings—particularly respondents’ and partners’ homes—were the most common sites, with sexual violence especially concentrated in intimate spaces. Public incidents, though less frequent, were linked to relationship power imbalances, suggesting visible expressions of control. Multivariate analyses indicated that frequency, severity, and relationship power were the strongest predictors of violence occurring across multiple contexts, while demographic characteristics were largely unrelated. These findings indicate that TDV location reflects situational and relational dynamics rather than identity factors, emphasizing the need for context-aware prevention and intervention strategies that address escalation, repeated aggression, and power dynamics across the diverse environments where adolescents live, learn, and socialize.

Author

• Gabriel Ancil Rangazas, University of California-Irvine