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Adolescent–Parent Communication Among Youth Who Have and Have Not Experienced Dating Violence

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Abstract

The current study examines the impact of adolescent–parent communication, which can play a significant role in alleviating risk behaviors, especially adolescent dating violence (ADV). Adolescents (N = 55; 28 males and 27 females), majority of whom were Latinos, were recruited from social service agencies serving youth and families. Adolescents completed a paper survey on the Parent–Adolescent Communication (comprised of open and problematic subscales) and Revised Conflict Tactics scales. T-tests and ANOVAs were conducted revealing that youth with ADV experience reported lower overall communication levels with their parents and increased problematic communication, especially with their mothers than adolescents with no ADV experience. No significant difference emerged by age or gender but Latino youth who experience ADV had lower levels of problematic communication with both parents. Teens, whose mothers were receiving domestic violence-related services, versus who were not receiving services, reported more overall communication with their mothers. Implications for educators, practitioners, and research are provided.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Simmons Foundation through the Innovative Community Academic Partnership Program at the University of Texas at Arlington School of Social Work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Social Work, University of Texas at Arlington, 211 South Cooper Street, Box 19129, Arlington, TX, 76019, USA

    Bernadette Ombayo & Beverly Black

  2. School of Social Work, University of Missouri – Columbia, 728 Clark Hall, Columbia, MO, 65211-4470, USA

    Kathleen M. Preble

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  1. Bernadette Ombayo
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  2. Beverly Black
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Correspondence to Bernadette Ombayo.

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Bernadette Ombayo, Beverly Black, and Kathleen M. Preble declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Ombayo, B., Black, B. & Preble, K.M. Adolescent–Parent Communication Among Youth Who Have and Have Not Experienced Dating Violence. Child Adolesc Soc Work J 36, 381–390 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-018-0565-1

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