15: Dating Violence and Adolescent Health Status: Are They Related?

Abstract

Little empirical data exist linking dating violence (DV) with health outcomes in adolescents. We investigated the independent relationships between perpetration and/or receipt of physical and sexual DV and physical and emotional health outcomes. A total of 1,390 students in four urban high schools completed audio computer assisted or paper/pencil standardized measures of recent (Conflict in Adolescent Relationship Inventory), lifetime (Dating Violence Inventory) DV and current health status (Child Health and Illness Profile, Adolescent Edition). Health outcomes included health status (poor to excellent), physical discomfort (PD), emotional discomfort (ED), and self-esteem. Male and female teens who reported having a romantic or dating relationship in the last year (n = 922) and who completed the DV measures and health status (n = 831; 90%) were included in multivariate analyses controlling for potential confounders (gender, ethnicity, country of birth, and non-partner sexual abuse). About 10% (n = 75) of the entire sample reported fair to poor health status, 24% (n = 196) high levels of PD, 22% (n = 166) high levels of ED, and 22% (n = 179) low self-esteem. About 60% (n = 497) and 9% (n = 77) reported a lifetime of physical and sexual DV, respectively. Recent, i.e., in the past year DV incidence varied with perpetration/recipient status with 33% (n = 268) reporting perpetration of physical and 12% (n = 94) sexual, whereas 31% (n = 237) were recipients of physical violence and 16% (n = 118) sexual. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that recent and prior DV were associated with 3 health outcomes. That is, teens who reported being a recipient of recent physical (AORs:1.5-1.7) and/or recent sexual (AORs:1.8-1.9) DV as compared to those who had not, were significantly more likely to report high levels of PD and ED, i.e., greater number of physical and emotional symptoms. Further, those who reported recent perpetration or receipt of sexual DV were 2.3 times more likely to report fair to poor health status and those who perpetrated physical violence were almost 2 times more likely to report high levels of ED. Similarly, those who reported a lifetime of physical (AORs: 1.7-2.0) and/or sexual (AORs: 1.8-2.6) DV as compared to no lifetime reported higher PD and ED. These data demonstrate that recent as well as lifetime DV effects the reporting of functional health status indicators by adolescents, independent of established confounders. Further, these relationships include perpetrators and recipients of DV. Health professionals must consider the presence and history of DV in patients presenting with somatic and emotional complaints.