Searching for specificity in teen dating violence and distress: A network analytic approach

Methodological norms inhibit our ability to understand the nature and correlates of teen dating violence. This includes examining teen dating violence subtypes, such as physical and psychological perpetration and victimization, and mental health correlates in isolation. Further, continued reliance on latent conceptualizations may obscure patterns of specificity within teen dating violence and between violent acts and mental health sequelae. In response, we leveraged a network analytic approach to explore how experiences of physical and psychological teen dating violence victimization and perpetration relate to different forms of psychopathology in a racially/ethnically diverse sample of adolescents. A sample of 584 adolescents (Mage=15; 51.03% male; 32.08% Hispanic; 28.47% Black; 19.90% White; 15.27% Multiracial) from southeast Texas (n=507) and a midwestern state (n=77) completed surveys at baseline and 1-year follow up assessing teen dating violence, posttraumatic stress, depressive symptoms, and substance use. Network features, including edge strength, centrality, and stability were investigated. Acts of teen dating violence were largely bidirectional, as opposed to reflecting distinct patterns of perpetration and victimization. There was little evidence that specific teen dating violence acts were uniquely related to distinct forms of psychopathology. Networks, which were stable over time, generalized across gender and racial/ethnic identity. Highlighting the bidirectional nature of teen dating violence, our findings outline specific acts for prevention programs to target and reinforce potential issues of distinguishing between perpetrators and victims when working with adolescents.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Govender, Theemeshni

Contributors dc:contributor

• Cohen, Joseph R.
• Briley , Ava

• Teen Dating Violence
• Network Analysis
• Adolescence

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Theemeshni Govender

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129779

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F129779