Dating violence among adolescents and emerging adults – what attitudes regarding sex of the perpetrator and of the victim?

Background: Dating violence (DV) has been being studied for more than 30 years. However, many questions remain unanswered regarding attitudes toward male-to-female as well as female-to-male DV and its various forms, as well as alcohol consumption preceding or following DV. Furthermore, impulsivity has never been studied so far. Methods: A total sample of 1811 adolescents and emerging adults were administered questionnaires measuring DV (Conflict in Adolescent Dating Relationship Inventory, Wolfe et al., 2001), attitudes (Attitudes Toward Dating Violence Scale, Price et al., 1999), alcohol drinking frequency (Bush et al., 1998) and impulsivity (UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale, Billieux et al., 2012). Results: Female are more in disfavor of DV than males, but males and females’ attitudes depends on the sex of the perpetrator and the form of DV. Higher alcohol frequency puts at risk of perpetrating and sustaining psychological DV events preceded or followed by alcohol drinking. Several sub-dimensions of impulsivity moderate the attitudes-DV association. Conclusion: Attitudes toward DV can rely on gendered patterns where sex of the perpetrator/victim is especially important. Alcohol drinking can follow as well as precede DV, so that correlational studies cannot disregard such a double temporality anymore. Impulsivity influence how strongly attitudes and DV are associated; it is a promising variable for future research. Action: Prevention programs should continue to work on attitudes toward DV and investigate gendered attitudinal differences regarding who perpetrates/sustains DV; on the way alcohol can lead to and follow DV perpetration/victimization; on sessions to make youth able to be aware of their impulsivity