Substance abuse and media violence exposure as factors in acceptance of dating violence among in-school adolescents

Abstract

ABSTRACT Adolescents’ dating violence is a public health concern due to its damaging consequences on the wellbeing of individuals involved and the possible risk of progression into adulthood. Previous studies have established links between substance use and exposure to media violence on adolescents’ dating violence, but little is known about the dispositions of adolescents toward the act, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. The present study examined the contributions of substance abuse and media violence exposure in acceptance of dating violence among adolescents (N = 378). They consisted of 240 males and 138 female students with an average age of 16.25 years (SD = 1.48; age range = 16–18 years. They completed the following questionnaire measures of the variables: Psychoactive Substance Use Questionnaire, Adjusted Content-based Media Scale, and Acceptance of Dating Violence Scale. Results of hierarchical multiple regressions showed that adolescents’ use of substances positively predicted acceptance of dating violence. Acceptance of dating violence was also predicted by adolescents’ exposure to media violence. Since increased favorable attitudes toward dating violence may predict actual perpetration of dating violence, the findings suggest that interventions aimed at preventing substance abuse and exposure to violence in the media may be helpful in amelioration of the problem of dating violence among youths.