Primary Sources: Can Peer Networks Prevent Dating Violence in Young Men?

“The Structure of Male Adolescent Peer Networks and Risk for Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration: Findings from a National Sample” (abstract), Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Vol. 39 No. 6, June, 2010.

What it's about: Researchers studied 3,030 young men to see whether those in different types of peer groups are more or less likely to act violently in a romantic relationship. Data came from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, also known as Add Health. The young men were interviewed twice, first at an average age of 16 and then at an average age of about 22.

Why read it: The young people that teens hang out with have a strong influence on their behavior, but little has been known about whether and how social networks contribute to dating violence. This study begins to look into those questions.

Biggest take away for youth workers: While all the peer groups in the study had some members who committed dating violence, the lowest incidence seemed to be in larger networks of teens with a balance of girls and boys. Youth workers may be able to reduce dating violence by building opportunities for young people to have positive interactions and friendships with a variety of teens their age.

Additional references: The Men of Strength Club, or MOST Club, helps young men create healthy definitions of masculinity for themselves. MOST Club’s curriculum is taught at more than 100 schools in eight states, the District of Columbia and New York.

More information about Add Health is available from the National Institute of Child & Human Development.

(Publications discussed here do not necessarily reflect the views of NCFY, FYSB or the Administration for Children and Families. Go to the NCFY literature database for abstracts of this and other publications.)