Relationship between face-to-face and digital dating abuse with health-related quality of life among Mexican adolescents

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to identify whether there is a relationship between face-to-face and digital dating abuse victimization with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among adolescent students, adjusted for sex. Three hundred ninety-eight students of 15 to 18 years of age (62.8% female) participated. The following scales adapted to the Mexican adolescent population were applied: Violence in Adolescents' Dating Relationships Inventory, Cyber Dating Abuse Questionnaire and the KIDSCREEN-10. It was found that 55.5% of the respondents reported having been victims of face-to-face and digital abuse. HRQoL scores were lower for women than for men. Using structural equation modeling, a negative, statistically significant association of moderate magnitude was found between dating abuse (face-to-face and digital) and HRQoL. The results suggest that the higher the level of abuse victimization in both face-to-face and digital dating relationships, the lower the HRQoL of adolescent students. The results of this study show the relevance of considering both face-to-face and digital abuse when analyzing the effect of dating violence on the HRQoL.