The Ecology of Adolescent Dating Aggression: Attitudes, Relationships, Media Use, and Socio-Demographic Risk Factors

Using an ecological systems perspective, 627 Canadian adolescents (297 boys, 330 girls) with romantic partners were evaluated longitudinally to determine how risks across multiple contexts (individual, relationship, sociocultural or popular media, socio-demographic) collectively contribute to dating aggression. Two models were tested. The results indicated that risks at all ecological levels are predictive of dating aggression and they highlight the influence of aggressive media use, especially among ethnic minority youth. The results also demonstrated the intervening importance of violence-tolerant attitudes in the longitudinal links between the more distal influence of aggressive media use and dating aggression. Overall, the results provide support for the emerging view of adolescent dating aggression as multidetermined by risk factors located within all levels of influence.

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