Associations between Parenting Practices and Acceptance of Dating Abuse Norms Among 7th Grade Students

Abstract

Dating violence, including physical and psychological forms of abuse, is highly prevalent. Dating violence in early adolescence can have a lifelong impact, for this period is critical for a child’s development of a framework for future relationships. Therefore, research needs to understand what variables may be influencing unhealthy and abusive norms about dating. Previous research has indicated parenting practices are associated with early adolescent’s norms and behaviors. Therefore, we hypothesized positive parenting practices will be associated with less acceptance of dating abuse norms. Study participants include 59 7th-grade students from an Illinois urban area. They completed surveys to evaluate the impact of an intervention cultivated to prevent dating violence. Analyses were conducted in SPSS software to examine 1) how early adolescent’s norms about dating relationships change from before to after the intervention, and 2) how parenting practices are associated with the acceptance of these dating abuse norms. Findings are intended to address gaps within this literature, including better understanding the role parents can play in dating violence prevention. With this information, practitioners can use this research to implement interventions and programming to better address dating violence.

Keywords: norms, violence, messages