Risk factors associated with young people's instigation of physical, sexual and emotional abuse in their intimate relationships
Christine Barter
University of Central Lancashire
Dr Christine Barter is a Reader in Young People and Violence Prevention at the Connect Centre for International Research on Interpersonal Violence and Harm at the University of Central Lancashire, UK. Her most recent research has focused on violence and abuse in teenage intimate relationships. She recently led on a major European mixed method research project focusing on the use of new technologies in young people's relationships (see www.stiritup.eu). Her work currently addresses prevention in this area. She has published on a wide range of children’s and young people's issues, including Barter, C. and Stanley, N. (2016): Inter-personal violence and abuse in adolescent intimate relationships: mental health impact and implications for practice, International Review of Psychiatry, 14 Sep 2016.
Abstract
Objectives: This paper will examine Risk factors associated with young people’s instigation of physical, sexual and emotional (including through new technologies) abuse in their intimate relationships. Methods: The... [ view full abstract ]
Objectives: This paper will examine Risk factors associated with young people’s instigation of physical, sexual and emotional (including through new technologies) abuse in their intimate relationships.
Methods: The research project involved a European survey of 4,564 young people aged 14-17 across five European countries: Bulgaria; Cyprus; England; Italy and Norway (see http://stiritup.eu/). A Young people's advisory groups was convened in each country to work alongside the research teams on all aspects of the project including developing the survey questions. A range of risk and protective factors were included reflecting previous US research findings. Logistic regressions were used to measure predictive factors.
Results: Across the sample approximately 20% of young people, irrespective of gender, stated they engaged in some form of emotional violence, 10% of girls and 6% of boys reported the use of physical violence and 20% of boys and 4% of girls reported using sexual violence (pressure and/or force). A range of risk factors were identified as significant predictors of violence instigation, these included: age; holding negative gender attitudes; domestic violence and child abuse; identifying as a bully; having older partners; having peers who use violence; regularly watching online pornography. Significant gender differences were identified alongside differences across abuse types.
Conclusion: A complex range of factors including past experiences of violence, instigation of violence in other context, negative gender attitudes and wider peer norms were found to be predictors of intimate violence in young people’s relationships. Prevention and intervention programmes seeking to respond to violence in young people’s relationships need to develop effective strategies to address the interplay of these risk factors if they are to be effective in stopping violence.
Authors
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Christine Barter
(University of Central Lancashire)
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Nicky Stanley
(University of Central Lancashire)
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Alba Lanau
(university of Bristol)
Topic Area
Domestic Violence: Breaking the Intergenerational Cycle
Session
Oral 10 » Session 3- Domestic Violence (16:15 - Monday, 2nd October, Antarctica Room)
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