Introduction
One of ten U.S. high school students is a victim of adolescent dating violence (ADV).
Understanding ADV risk factors guides prevention efforts; however, research examining
community- and societal-level risk factors is scant. Societal gender inequality is
a known risk factor for violence against women, but has yet to be explored in relation
to ADV. This study aims to determine whether the Gender Inequality Index (GII) correlates
with levels of physical and sexual ADV victimization across U.S. states.
Methods
State-representative prevalence rates of self-reported physical and sexual ADV victimization
were obtained from the 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. The state GII includes five
indicators: (1) maternal mortality; (2) adolescent birth rate; (3) government representation;
(4) educational attainment; and (5) labor force participation. Pearson correlation
coefficients determined the association between physical and sexual ADV victimization,
the GII, and GII indicators. Analyses were conducted in August 2014.
Results
Among U.S. states, the prevalence of physical ADV victimization in 2013 ranged from
7.0% to 14.8%, and the prevalence of sexual ADV victimization ranged from 7.8% to
13.8%. The GII was significantly associated with the state prevalence of female physical
ADV victimization (r=0.48, p<0.01) but not female sexual ADV victimization. Neither physical nor sexual male ADV
victimization was associated with the GII.
Conclusions
This exploratory study suggests that gender inequality may be a societal-level risk
factor for female physical ADV victimization. As ADV prevention strategies are implemented
at the state level, further research examining the effect of gender inequality on
ADV is needed.
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