This document discusses how childhood exposure to violence can affect adolescent dating violence. It begins by defining dating violence and stating the thesis that boys exposed to violence are more likely to be violent in their own relationships. Possible causes discussed include gender socialization, modeling aggressive behavior witnessed at home, motivation and reinforcement of violence, traditional gender stereotypes, and acceptance of violence in some cultures. The document considers evidence that while girls commit dating violence too, boys are generally more aggressive and prone to violence. It concludes by suggesting solutions like education, counseling, and training professionals.

1. Gendered Violence: How Childhood
Exposure to Violence
Affects Adolescent Dating Violence
Holly A. Brennan
Tiffin University

2. Why this topic was chosen
• As young adults we can relate to intimate
relationships
• Personal experience with Mom and Dad
• Little data available, want to find out more on
dating violence and its possible causes

3. Definition of “Dating Violence”
• Variations of the definition within the research
found, so needed to decide on one basic
operational definition: physical threats or physical
contact.
• The definition of violence parallels that presented
by Reiss and Ross (1993), “behaviors by
individuals that intentionally threaten, attempt or
inflict physical harm on others” (as cited in Lichter
& McCloskey, 2004, p. 344).

4. Thesis
• The researcher believes that
children, specifically boys who are exposed to
violence, are disposed to repeating violence
later on in their own romantic relationships.
This issue needs to be assessed and possible
solutions will be discussed.

5. Possible Causes of Dating Violence
• Gender
• Modeling behavior
• Witnessing violence in household as a child
• Motivation and reinforcement
• Traditional gender stereotypes
• Identification of gender roles
• Socially acceptable and even expected in
some cultures

6. Gender
• According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (2007) and
Tjaden & Thoeness, (2000), “Women and girls are more
likely to be killed by male partners than any other class of
individuals- a finding consistent across every study in
every national context” (as cited in Reed, 2010, p. 349).
• In a study conducted by Tolman (1998) on gender and
contextual factors in heterosexual adolescent dating
violence, “Girls reported their dating partners were the
ones who started the abuse 70% of the time” (p. 187).
• Hyde (2005) validates that “men are more generally
aggressive than women” (p.591).

7. Gender (continued)
• Denno’s (1994) research reveals the following: Gender
is among the strongest predictors of crime, particularly
violent crime. Arrest, self-report, and victimization
data consistently show that men and boys commit
significantly more crime, both serious and not, than
women and girls. This pattern persists despite data
indicating that crimes committed by females may be
rising. Evidence also suggests that males are generally
more aggressive than females, even before preschool
years. Yet most theories and explanations of crime are
gender blind. They either bypass the gender issue
entirely or focus solely on why females fail to resemble
males in their behavior. (p.1)

8. Modeling Behavior
• Equal violence between boys & girls? No.
• Studies have shown that “the relationship
between exposure to violence during childhood
and dating violence tends to vary by gender”
(Lichter & McCloskey, 2004, p. 345).
• The Bureau of Justice Statistics (2007) and Tjaden
& Thoennes (2000) have found that “Women and
girls are more likely to be injured than men and
boys due to violence from a partner” (as cited in
Reed, 2010, p.349).

9. Witnessing violence in household as a child
• Children who observe aggressive behavior in the household learn to
act aggressively and are more prone to violence  Since boys are
more aggressive to begin with, the fact that they are witnessing
such violence as a child may contribute to dating violence among
teenage boys
• According to Foo & Margolin (1995) and Jaffe, Wolfe, & Wilson
(1990), “Several studies have found that witnessing or experiencing
violence as a child increases one’s risk of having attitudes justifying
intimate violence during adolescence” (as cited in Lichter &
McCloskey, 2004, p. 345).
• O’Leary (1988) states, “children exposed to marital violence are
prone to repeating violence in their own romantic relationships” (as
cited in Lichter & McCloskey, 2004, p. 345).
• Main point, parents are influential

10. Motivation and reinforcement
• If a child witnesses violence as a way to end
an argument, they may be motivated to
behave violently in an intimate relationship
because it shows control and resolution.
• The problem with that is the positive
result, which is that the argument ended and
with that tension is reduced.

11. Traditional gender stereotypes
• Linder (2001) notes that “men who hold
traditional gender stereotypes are more likely
than men who do not hold such stereotypes to
use partner violence” (p. 130).
• “It appears that gendered perceptions of violence
are based in real-world knowledge of gender
differences” (Hamby, 2010, p. 324).  Because
men are larger and stronger, they are more likely
to control or dominate their partner.

12. Identification of Gender Roles
• Boys are more masculine and young girls are
more feminine
• Linder (2001) validates, “gender-role concepts
provide a framework for selecting appropriate
future behaviors” (p. 130).  If boys are
taught to be tough then they are more likely
to act that way in relationships

13. Socially acceptable and even expected
in some cultures
• People tend to gravitate toward friends of
similar values, morals, and ethics  If a boy
has friends who mistreat their partners, then
he will most likely behave similarly.
• Some cultures expect men to dominate and
control women  May relate to financial
stability and “bread-winning”?

14. Opposition Girls are violent too
• Linder’s study: girls commit dating violence
too  Could be self-defense?

15. Solutions
• Educate young people
• Adequate counseling
• Allocate money to train teachers, parents, and
health care professionals

16. References
Bandura, A., & Ribes-Inesta, E. (1976). Analysis of Delinquency and Aggression. Lawrence
Erlbaum Associates, INC: New Jersey.
CWLC. (2001). California Women’s Law Center. Teen dating violence: An ignored epidemic.
Los Angeles, California. Available at www.cwlc.org. (last visited April 12).
Denno, D. W. (1994). Gender issues and the criminal law: Gender, crime, and the criminal
law defenses. Journal of criminal law & criminology.
Hamby, S. (2010). Size Does Matter: The Effects of Gender on Perceptions of Dating
Violence. Sex Roles, 63(5/6), 324-331.
Hyde, J. S. (2005). The gender similarities hypothesis. The American Psychologist. 60, 581-
592.
Lichter, E. L., & McCloskey, L. A. (2004). THE EFFECTS OF CHILDHOOD EXPOSURE TO
MARITAL VIOLENCE ON ADOLESCENT GENDER-ROLE BELIEFS AND DATING VIOLENCE.
Psychology of Women Quarterly, 28(4), 344-357.1.
Linder, F. (2001). Gender Differences in the Longitudinal Predictors of Adolescent Dating
Violence. Preventive Medicine, 32(2), 128-141.
Reed, E. (2010). Losing the “Gender” in Gender-Based Violence: The Missteps of Research
on Dating and Intimate Partner Violence. Violence Against Women, 16(3), 348-354.
Tolman, R. (1998). Gender and Contextual Factors in Adolescent Dating Violence. Violence
Against Women, 4(2), 180-194.
Seigel, L., (1992). Criminology. West Publishing Company: St. Paul, Minnesota.