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Delinquent Behavior and Dating Violence among Latinx Youth: A Test of Gover’s Theoretical Model of Violent Victimization

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Abstract

Almost two decades ago, Gover articulated a theoretical model suggesting that the relationship between social ties and negative emotions on dating violence victimization occurs indirectly through risky behavior. To date, no study has attempted to apply this framework to dating violence victimization experienced by Latinx youth. Cultural influences such as familism may provide the necessary social ties needed to divert youth from delinquent behavior, while also lessening adverse emotions due to possible negative experiences. Using data collected from the Dating Violence Among Latino Adolescents (DAVILA) Study, this research investigated whether delinquent behavior mediated the relationships between social ties (enculturation and family support), and negative emotions (hostility, anxiety, and depression) on dating violence victimization. Results obtained from logistics regression analyses showed that only hostility had a positive and significant relationship to dating violence victimization. The indirect effect of enculturation on dating violence victimization through delinquency is not statistically significant. However, the indirect effects of family support, hostility, anxiety, and depression on dating violence victimization through delinquency are statistically significant, indicating that delinquency mediated the effects of family support, hostility, anxiety, and depression on dating violence victimization. These results provide partial support for Gover’s theoretical framework. Treatment and prevention programs aimed at reducing hostility may minimize the occurrence of dating violence victimization in this study population.

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Notes

  1. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Pennsylvania State University. Please see Sabina and Cuevas (2013).

  2. IPV perpetration was also captured in these data. These same items were alternatively presented in the context of the respondent acting violently toward their intimate partners. However, an exploratory analysis revealed a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.42 for these perpetration measures and, for this reason, was excluded from this study. While studies have found a correlation between IPV perpetration and IPV victimization (Zavala and Kurtz, 2021), and is thus an important variable to control, such exclusion is consistent with other studies examining the mediating roles of risky lifestyle/delinquency and various independent variables on IPV victimization (Gover, 2004; Vezina et al., 2011).

  3. Our decision to dichotomize the dependent variable was based on our interest in the occurrence of violence rather than the frequency of violence. This method is consistent with past studies that have used these data (Cuevas et al., 2021; Zavala & Muniz, 2021). In addition, while Cronbach’s alpha is below what is typically considered a minimum acceptable value, Straus and Douglas (2004) warned that the small number of items per scale could result in a low alpha. Nevertheless, CTS2 has been used in more than 500 studies and is the most commonly used instrument to capture interpersonal conflicts (Costa & Barros, 2016).

  4. It is of importance to note that this version of the scale was shortened by removing certain questions and combining others in order to reduce participate burden and eliminating very infrequent behaviors (Cuevas et al., 2021; Cuevas et al., 2020a, 2020b). Such actions taken by the primary investigators may have resulted in this low alpha.

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  1. Department of Criminal Justice, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79968, USA

    Egbert Zavala

  2. Department of Justice Studies, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA, USA

    Graciela Perez

  3. Department of Sociology, Chapman University, Orange, CA, USA

    Nancy Rios-Contreras

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  1. Egbert Zavala
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Zavala, E., Perez, G. & Rios-Contreras, N. Delinquent Behavior and Dating Violence among Latinx Youth: A Test of Gover’s Theoretical Model of Violent Victimization. J Fam Viol 38, 905–917 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-022-00402-9

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