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Dating Violence and Associated Health Risks Among High School Students with Disabilities

Maternal and Child Health Journal volume 17, pages 1088–1094 (2013)Cite this article

Abstract

Children with disabilities are at a higher risk for various forms of violence including sexual violence, bullying, and physical violence compared to those without disabilities. However there are no studies documenting the prevalence of dating violence amongst a population-based sample of adolescents with disabilities. The purpose of this study is to assess the prevalence of dating violence victimization against high schools students with and without disabilities and to examine associations of dating violence with health risks by disability status among high school girls. Data from the 2009 Massachusetts Youth Health Survey were analyzed in 2011 using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression. Among high school students who had ever been on a date, girls (25.9 %, 95 % CI 19.9–31.5) and boys (9.1 %, 95 % CI 5.8–12.4) with disabilities were more likely than girls (8.8 %, 95 % CI 6.8–10.8) and boys (4.5 %, 95 % CI 3.1–5.8) without disabilities to report dating violence. Multivariate analyses indicated that high school girls with disabilities who experienced dating violence were more likely to report feeling sad or hopeless for 2 weeks or more in the past year, suicide ideation in the past 12 months, and drug use in the past 30 days compared to those with disabilities who did not report dating violence and those without disabilities who reported and did not report dating violence. High school students with disabilities are at a greater risk for dating violence victimization compared to those without disabilities and high school girls with disabilities who experience dating violence are at increased risk for experiencing poor mental health outcomes and substance abuse.

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No financial disclosures were reported by the authors of this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Health Policy and Research/Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 333 South Street, Shrewsbury, MA, 01545, USA

    Monika Mitra

  2. Division of Violence and Injury Prevention, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 250 Washington St, Boston, MA, USA

    Vera E. Mouradian

  3. Health Survey Program, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 250 Washington St, Boston, MA, USA

    Maria McKenna

Authors
  1. Monika Mitra
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  2. Vera E. Mouradian
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  3. Maria McKenna
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Correspondence to Monika Mitra.

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Mitra, M., Mouradian, V.E. & McKenna, M. Dating Violence and Associated Health Risks Among High School Students with Disabilities. Matern Child Health J 17, 1088–1094 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-012-1091-y

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