Adolescents' Gender Mistrust and Timing of First Intimate Partner Violence Experience

• In Event: Prevalence, Attitudes, and Social Influences of Dating and Intimate Partner Violence Among Adolescents and Young Adults

Abstract

Issues of jealousy and trust are commonly referenced in the IPV literature; research indicates that infidelity is a key “domain of contestation” and represents a “bottom line” in disputes that escalate to violence (Giordano et al., 2013). Although infidelity concerns may be linked to relationship experiences—both past and present—it is likely that such considerations also reflect a more general sense of mistrust of the opposite sex. Yet in the IPV literature, the association between gender mistrust and IPV remains underdeveloped. Family researchers have demonstrated that gender mistrust influences a number of relationship outcomes including marriage rates, relationship instability, and the qualities of dating relationships, providing a potential link between gender mistrust and patterns of violent behavior. We use data from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (TARS) and the US Census to highlight the complex associations between social processes, gender mistrust, and the experience of IPV. Based on multilevel discrete-time event history models, the results indicate that gender mistrust is associated with the timing of IPV. Further, the findings underscore the role of family background and neighborhood context in fostering negative views of the opposite sex, and the unique ways in which these processes work for men and women.

Authors

• Jennifer Copp, Bowling Green State University

• Peggy C. Giordano, Bowling Green State University

• Wendy D. Manning, Bowling Green State University

• Monica A. Longmore, Bowling Green State University