Prevalence of and Risk Markers for Dating Abuse-Related Stalking and Harassment Victimization and Perpetration in a Nationally Representative Sample of U.S. Adolescents

• NCJ Number: 255093
• Journal: Youth and Society Volume: Online Dated: 2020
• Author(s): Emily F. Rothman; Eva Bahrami; Nnenna Okeke; Elizabeth Mumford
• Date Published: May 2020
• Length: 24 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2016-VF-GX-0007
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article details research into the prevalence of dating abuse-related stalking and harassment among U.S. youth.

Abstract

There are no nationally representative estimates of the prevalence of dating abuse-related stalking and harassment. The authors analyzed data collected from 320 U.S. youth ages 12- to 18-year-old. Youth with dating experience were asked whether a dating partner had ever spied on or followed them, damaged something that belonged to them, or gone through their online accounts. The prevalence of lifetime stalking and harassment victimization was 48 percent and the prevalence of perpetration was 43 percent. Latinx boys were at elevated risk for dating abuse-related stalking and harassment perpetration and victimization. Among girls, younger age, marijuana use, and living in a neighborhood with an elevated crime rate were associated with perpetration, and younger age, being Black, and marijuana use were associated with victimization. Interventions that prevent less severe and indirect forms of dating abuse are warranted.