University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, USA.
Saddleback College, Mission Viejo, CA, USA.
J Interpers Violence. 2021 Oct;36(19-20):NP11026-NP11045. doi: 10.1177/0886260519880165. Epub 2019 Oct 8.
Exposure to marital conflict has been identified as a risk factor for teen dating violence (TDV). Given the high rates of marital conflict observed in families affected by paternal alcoholism, children of alcoholic fathers may be at increased risk for TDV. Positive parenting behaviors are protective against TDV in general, but whether they can attenuate the effects of exposure to marital conflict is uncertain. According to social learning theory, adolescents exposed to both positive and conflictual parenting may perceive aggression to be part of a normal and loving relationship and hence be at risk for TDV. In contrast, attachment theory would posit that positive parenting would better enable youth to regulate negative emotions and would be protective against TDV. The current study used prospective data to examine whether maternal acceptance buffered the relationship between exposure to marital conflict in early adolescence and TDV in late adolescence among a sample of adolescents at risk for TDV due to parental alcoholism. Adolescents ( = 227, 50% female, 89% European American), half of whom had an alcoholic parent, completed surveys in early (eighth grade) and late adolescence (11th and 12th grades). They reported on exposure to marital conflict, perceptions of maternal acceptance, and involvement in TDV. Regression analyses revealed that exposure to marital conflict in early adolescence was predictive of TDV in late adolescence. However, an examination of the interaction between exposure to marital conflict and maternal acceptance indicated that at high levels of marital conflict and maternal acceptance, exposure to marital conflict no longer predicted TDV. Findings suggest that social modeling alone is not sufficient for understanding the intergenerational transmission of violence. A multipronged approach to violence prevention among high-risk families targeting both parental and parent-child relationships is recommended.
婚姻冲突的暴露已被确定为青少年约会暴力 (TDV) 的风险因素。鉴于受父亲酗酒影响的家庭中观察到的婚姻冲突率很高，酗酒父亲的孩子可能面临更高的 TDV 风险。积极的育儿行为一般可以预防 TDV，但它们是否可以减轻婚姻冲突暴露的影响尚不确定。根据社会学习理论，暴露于积极和冲突性育儿行为的青少年可能会认为攻击是正常和有爱的关系的一部分，因此面临 TDV 的风险。相比之下，依恋理论认为，积极的育儿行为将使青少年更好地调节负面情绪，并能预防 TDV。本研究使用前瞻性数据，在一个因父母酗酒而面临 TDV 风险的青少年样本中，检验了母亲接受度是否缓冲了青少年早期婚姻冲突暴露与青少年晚期 TDV 之间的关系。青少年（n = 227，50%女性，89%欧洲裔美国人）中，有一半的父母酗酒，他们在青少年早期（八年级）和青少年晚期（11 年级和 12 年级）完成了调查。他们报告了婚姻冲突暴露、对母亲接受度的看法以及参与 TDV 的情况。回归分析显示，青少年早期的婚姻冲突暴露与青少年晚期的 TDV 相关。然而，对婚姻冲突暴露与母亲接受度之间的交互作用的检验表明，在婚姻冲突和母亲接受度高的情况下，婚姻冲突暴露不再预测 TDV。研究结果表明，仅社会模仿不足以理解暴力的代际传递。建议针对高风险家庭，采用针对父母和亲子关系的多管齐下的暴力预防方法。
