Can Johnson's Typology of Adult Partner Violence Apply to Teen Dating Violence?

Abstract

The authors examined the applicability of Johnson's typology of adult intimate partner violence to female and male youth's reports of teen dating violence. A total of 5,647 youth from 10 schools participated in the survey, 3,745 of whom reported currently being in a dating relationship or having been in one during the prior year (52% female, 74% White). Using hierarchical cluster analysis to classify youth into high‐control versus no‐/low‐control violent experiences, the authors found that Johnson's typology provides a workable framework for examining the violent experiences of dating teens. For the one third of youth in violent relationships, the most common type of violence perpetrated was situational couple violence (86% for females and 80% for males), followed by intimate terrorism (7% for females and 11% for males). Six percent of females and males reported using violent resistance in their relationships, and 1% of females and 4% of males reported mutual violent control