Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Aggression between adolescent dating partners is an alarming public health issue. Dating aggression is associated with serious physical and mental health consequences, including physical injuries requiring medical attention, depression, substance use, eating disorders, school failures, sexual risk taking, early pregnancy and suicidality. According to prevention experts, efforts aimed at eliminating dating aggression require a clear understanding of the base rate prevalence of this phenomenon. However, prevalence rates have been found to vary widely, with reports that between 10 to 80 percent of adolescents experience aggression within their romantic relationships. Given the divergent findings reported within the body of adolescent dating aggression research and the fact that this literature has not been synthesized, the goal of this study will be to conduct a meta-analysis which will characterize the prevalence of males and females victimization and perpetration of aggression within early, mid, and late adolescent dating relationships. It is hypothesized that the prevalence rates of dating aggression will be 1) higher in studies that use a definition of aggression that includes verbal or emotional aggression, 2) equal between boys and girls in the mid adolescent age groups and 3) higher in samples from areas where there is a high risk of exposure to community violence. A more comprehensive understanding of the prevalence of adolescent dating aggression will inform researchers, educational partners, community agencies and front line workers in their prevention efforts addressing this pressing public health issue.