Poster #35

Sex Differences in the Acceptance of Dating Violence

By: Iris McMillan, M.A. Co-authored by Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling, PhD

Abstract:

Empirical research suggests that males are more accepting of dating violence relative to females, with female perpetrated violence evidencing greater social acceptance relative to male perpetrated violence (Karlsson et al., 2016). Moreover, acceptance of dating violence (ADV) is a known risk-factor of teen dating violence (TDV) perpetration (Temple et al., 2013) that is commonly targeted in school-based prevention programs (e.g., the Safe Dates program). However, little is known about the equivalence of ADV item properties for male and female respondents (Exner-Cortens et al., 2016). Therefore, the current study sought to examine sex differences in item functioning of ADV items used in the Safe Dates TDV prevention program (Foshee et al., 2005). Responses from a total of 1339 middle school students participating in the baseline survey of the Safe Dates program were examined using ordinal logistic regression for differential item functioning. Differential item functioning for two items assessing attitudinal acceptance of situational male-to-female and one item assessing acceptance of self-defensive female-to-male TDV were found. Put differently, items measuring aspects of ADV such as situational appropriateness or for reasons of self-defense evidenced sex-differences in response probabilities despite matching endorsement of ADV. Boys were more likely to approve of girls hitting their boyfriends when provoked whereas girls were more likely to approve of female-perpetrated violence if a boy had hit a girl first. Similarly, girls consistently reported greater acceptance of female-perpetrated violence in response to jealousy relative to boys. Although the the overall magnitude of sex-specific differences in item fuctioning were of negligible effect size, the results of the current study suggest that the legitimacy of situations and motives for TDV is evaluated differently across both sexes. Finally, the results highlight the importance of measurement equivalence not only to minimize measurement error but also to strengthen inferences about program effectiveness.

iris mcmillan

As an aspiring clinical health psychologist, I see myself uniquely positioned to contribute to the translation of violence research discoveries into prevention and intervention efforts to address public health concerns such as teen dating and intimate partner violence. My training as a scientist-practitioner, health psychologist, and quantitative psychologist has allowed me to conduct research aimed at the promotion of equity and inclusion in violence research and prevention through the use of novel quantitative methods and techniques.