Department/School

Social Work

Date of this version

2014

Document Type

Article

Keywords

dating/dating violence, middle school, intervention/prevention, violence/violent behaviors, romantic/dating relationships, communication

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431613510405

Abstract

This exploratory study examined middle school students’ (N = 380) help-seeking behaviors and other reactions to controlling behaviors in their dating relationships. Over three-fourths of the participants perpetrated and were victimized by controlling behaviors in their dating relationships. Youth used emotional/verbal and dominance/isolation forms of controlling behaviors. More youth were victimized by dominance/isolation controlling behaviors than emotional/verbal controlling behaviors. Gender and age differences emerged when evaluating the type of controlling behaviors youth used. The majority of youth were willing to seek help when confronted with various types of controlling behaviors in their dating relationships. Gender and age differences also emerged in youth’s reactions to controlling behaviors. More understanding of youth’s reactions to controlling behaviors in their dating relationships may assist prevention educators in intervening before controlling behaviors in dating relationships turn into actual dating violence.

Volume

34

Issue

7

Published in

The Journal of Early Adolescence

Citation/Other Information

Elias-Lambert, N., Black, B. M., & Chigbu, K. U. (2014). Controlling Behaviors in Middle School Youth’s Dating Relationships: Reactions and Help-Seeking Behaviors. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 34(7), 841-865. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431613510405

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