Risk of Physical Violence in High School Dating
Masho and Hamm (2007) analyzed data from the 2005 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey to find the prevalence and risk factors for dating physical violence (DPV) in teens in grades 9 through 12. These results were reported at last week's 2007 American Public Health Association annual meeting. Surprisingly, they found similar response rates to the question: "during the past 12 months, did your boyfriend or girlfriend ever hit, slap, or physically hurt you on purpose."(ScienceDirect): 9.2% for females and 9.0% for males. While several factors appeared as a risk factor for DPV in both boys and girls (sexual activity, physical fighting, sexual victimization, and suicidal thoughts), two factors stood out as sexually differentiated. Masho and Hamm found that poor body image was a predictor of physical victimization for girls, but not for boys. Illicit drug use was a predictor for boys, but not for girls.
I'm not recalling any time when I've ever had a partner hit, slap, or intentionally physically hurt me. I did slap a boyfriend once in college: hard, across the face, and in anger. He dumped me on the spot, and I probably deserved it. However, I'm fairly certain that his reaction was unusual. I certainly thought he was over-reacting at the time. While I'd like to see female-initiated violence taken that seriously as a general matter of course, I just don't envision that as likely anytime soon. I feel like playful slapping and punching of women is too much a part of the flirting paradigm for any physical outbursts but the most violent to be taken seriously. While I was a woman, my habit of hitting was generally received in good humor. It took serious self-control to learn to stop doing it. Honestly, it wasn't until I transitioned and saw the difference in how my hitting was perceived that I realized how actually appalling my hitting had been.
I'm not recalling any time when I've ever had a partner hit, slap, or intentionally physically hurt me. I did slap a boyfriend once in college: hard, across the face, and in anger. He dumped me on the spot, and I probably deserved it. However, I'm fairly certain that his reaction was unusual. I certainly thought he was over-reacting at the time. While I'd like to see female-initiated violence taken that seriously as a general matter of course, I just don't envision that as likely anytime soon. I feel like playful slapping and punching of women is too much a part of the flirting paradigm for any physical outbursts but the most violent to be taken seriously. While I was a woman, my habit of hitting was generally received in good humor. It took serious self-control to learn to stop doing it. Honestly, it wasn't until I transitioned and saw the difference in how my hitting was perceived that I realized how actually appalling my hitting had been.