Exposure to Violence Within Dating, Peer, and Community Contexts Among African American and Hispanic/Latine Adolescents in High-Burden, Urban Communities

Purpose: Exposure to violence within peer and community contexts, including peer victimization, peers’ dating violence and aggression, exposure to community violence, and having friends in gangs, are independently associated with an increased risk of adolescent dating violence. However, research examining these experiences together in relation to dating violence is limited, particularly among racial and ethnic minority adolescents living in disadvantaged urban communities. The current study aims to address these gaps, examining how exposure to violence within peer and community contexts are related to dating violence within a sample of African American and Hispanic/Latine adolescents living in urban communities of concentrated disadvantage. Method: Data from 233 dating adolescents (55% African American; 45% Hispanic/Latine) between the ages of 13 and 17 (M = 15.48) from 30 urban communities with high levels of concentrated disadvantage were analyzed. Data was obtained via verbally administered surveys. Multilevel logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results: Adolescents reported high levels of violence within their peer, community, and dating contexts. Peer victimization and exposure to community violence emerged as salient risk correlates, as both were associated with higher odds of dating violence victimization and perpetration. Perceptions of peers’ dating violence were associated with higher odds of dating violence perpetration. Having friends in gangs was associated with higher odds of dating violence victimization. Discussion: The current study examined violence within adolescents’ peer and community contexts, finding distinct risks for dating violence victimization and perpetration. These findings inform future directions for dating violence prevention programming to consider, particularly for African American and Hispanic/Latine adolescents in urban disadvantaged communities.