Intimate partner violence in early adolescence:the role of gender; socioeconomic factors and the school

BACKGROUND:Intimate partner violence (IPV) among adolescents is common worldwide; but our understanding of perpetration; gender differences and the role of social-ecological factors remains limited.OBJECTIVES:To explore the prevalence of physical and sexual IPV perpetration and victimisation by gender; and associated risk and protective factors.METHODS:Young adolescents (N=2 839) from 41 randomly selected public high schools in the Western Cape region of South Africa (SA); participating in the PREPARE study; completed a self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS:The participants' mean age was 13.65 years (standard deviation 1.01); with 19.1% (541/2 839) reporting being victims/survivors of IPV and 13.0% (370/2 839) reporting perpetrating IPV. Girls were less likely to report being a victim/survivor of physical IPV (odds ratio (OR) 0.72; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.57 - 0.92) and less likely to be a perpetrator of sexual IPV than boys (OR 0.33; 95% CI 0.21 - 0.52). Factors associated with perpetration of physical and sexual IPV were similar and included being a victim/survivor (physical IPV: OR 12.42; 95% CI 8.89 - 17.36; sexual IPV: OR 20.76; 95% CI 11.67 - 36.93); being older (physical IPV: OR 1.26; 95% CI 1.08 - 1.47; sexual IPV: OR 1.36; 95% CI 1.14 - 1.62 ); having lower scores on school connectedness (physical IPV: OR 0.59; 95% CI 0.46 - 0.75; sexual IPV: OR 0.56; 95% CI 0.42 - 0.76) and scoring lower on feelings of school safety (physical IPV: OR 0.66; 95% CI 0.57 - 0.77; sexual IPV: OR 0.50; 95% CI 0.40 - 0.62).CONCLUSIONS:Physical and sexual IPV was commonly reported among young adolescents in SA. Further qualitative exploration of the role of reciprocal violence by gender is needed; and the role of 'school climate'-related factors should be taken into account when developing preventive interventions

Sexual Coercion and Adolescent Risk Behaviour: A Systematic Literature Review

Sexual coercion affects the individual through multiple short- and long-term medical; emotional; psychological and social consequences; and adolescents are particularly at high risk. Sexual coercion is hypothesised to negatively affect adolescents' decision-making around their sexual behaviours and other risk behaviours. Yet there is no previous systematic literature review on the topic to summarise current knowledge. The aim of this systematic literature review is to summarise previous research among adolescents investigating the associations between sexual coercion and risk behaviours; to critically appraise validity of the associations found; and to promote further research on the topic. Published articles were obtained by searching databases using specific keywords. Only 22 articles were found to fit the inclusion criteria. The evidence substantiates the hypothesised associations between sexual coercion and later risk behaviours (e.g. multiple sexual partners; condom non-use; and pregnancy). It also presents differences between genders. However; the influences on behavioural outcomes are multifaceted and largely impacted by bias. There is a need for improved quality of studies - specifically an increased number of longitudinal and experimental design studies - and a clearer understanding of mediators and confounders. Furthermore; emphasis should be placed on addressing the consequences of sexual coercion and promoting interventions that reduce the extent of sexual coercion. This will have added benefit in terms of reducing risk behaviours