The Development of Dating Violence: What Doesn’t Develop, What Does Develop, How Does it Develop, and What Can We Do About It?

Abstract

Before starting this commentary, I need to put my biases on the table: I believe that healthy development depends on healthy relationships. This is the central tenet of our national network -Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network (PREVNet). In considering intimate partner violence (IPV), therefore, I am predisposed to look at how these maladaptive relationship styles develop, what role relationships play in guiding youths onto troubled pathways and, conversely, what role relationships can play in diverting youths onto healthy development and relationship pathways. This set of papers provides a strong foundation for considering the development of dating aggression, as well as the mechanisms that might underlie the development and maintenance of aggression in intimate relationships. With this developmental perspective, we can also consider potential strategies to prevent and intervene to move youths off this troubled pathway and onto a healthy relationship pathway. What Doesn't Develop?The collection of papers in this Special Section provides important pieces in the puzzle of how youths come to a point where they use aggression in their intimate relationships. Langhinrichsen-Rohling and Turner (2012), who report on an intervention for teen mothers, provide a good starting point in our consideration of what critical relationship capacities do not develop by reviewing six characteristics of respectful nonviolent relationships as identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC 2008). These are: (a) belief in nonviolent conflict resolution; (b) effective communication skills; (c) ability to negotiate and adjust to stress; (d) belief in partner's right to autonomy; (e) shared decision-making; and (f) trust. We can hypothesize that youths who engage in intimate partner violence fail to develop an understanding of, and capacity for, these elements of healthy relationships. Langhinrichsen-Rohling and Turner note that a reduced understanding of what constitutes a healthy intimate relationship has been associated with experiencing IPV. Consistent with this perspective of IPV as a problem with development, Chiodo et al. (2012) found that delinquency and sexual harassment perpetration predicted membership in a group characterized by mutual intimate partner violence. Although delinquency is different than IPV, youths who are delinquent may fail to consider the consequences of their behaviors on others and fall short in non-violent conflict resolution.Ehrensaft and Cohen (2012) point to the lack of development in self-regulation for youths who are both antisocial and engage in IPV. Within the brain, a lack of development of self-regulation implies less capacity for executive functioning, cold cognition, and effective social problem solving. This lack of neural regulation is reflected in impulsive, uninhibited and difficult social behavior. In our observations, we found that aggressive youths' behaviors were unpredictable: They were more likely to engage in "mixed" behaviors -one moment they w...

Clearly We’ve Only Just Begun: Developing Effective Prevention Programs for Intimate Partner Violence

“…Further work is needed to determine which choice is most likely to be successful for which relationships containing IPV. This conclusion is in keeping with Pepler’s (2012) assertion that IPV falls along a continuum that often includes playful aggression that is not coded as problematic by either partner. However, the continued occurrence and persistence of even playful aggression in adolescent romantic relationships may signal that there are deficits in that couples’ ability to problem solve constructively.…”

“…This work is part of a growing body of evidence pointing in this direction (e.g., Archer, 2000; Capaldi, Kim, & Shortt, 2007; Langhinrichsen-Rohling, 2010). As articulated by Pepler (2012) and Langhinrichsen-Rohling and Turner (2012), preventing IPV requires an understanding of the characteristics that constitute a healthy romantic relationship. Specifically, as delineated by the Centers for Disease Control (2008), these characteristics include: (a) belief in nonviolent conflict resolution; (b) effective communication skills; (c) the ability to negotiate and adjust to stress; (d) belief in partner’s right to autonomy; (e) shared decision-making; and (f) trust.…”

Intimate partner violence among rural South African men: alcohol use, sexual decision-making, and partner communication

“…Thus, it is important to note that men alone cannot be responsible for improving communication skills. Reduction in the use of IPV is most likely to occur in the context of both members of the couple acquiring better skills for conflict resolution (Pepler 2012), and when societal norms around the legitimacy of violence as a tool for communication are addressed (Reed et al 2011). …”

Relationship Context and Intimate Partner Violence From Adolescence to Young Adulthood

“…This contrasts with basic tenets of the life course perspective, which accommodates the idea that experience within romantic relationships themselves can be the basis for further learning and adjustment [15]. Previous longitudinal studies have enhanced understanding of between-individual differences [1, 13, 17, 18], but continue to shed little light on within-person change. A more nuanced analysis of how individuals navigate relationships from adolescence to adulthood is warranted to capture discontinuities in IPV experiences.…”