Dating violence among child welfare involved youth: Results from the Maltreatment and Adolescent Pathway (MAP) longitudinal study

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International Journal of Child and Adolescent Resilience, 2, 29-31.

This study examined the experience of dating violence for adolescents involved with the child welfare system.  The study is a secondary analysis of data from MAP (Maltreatment and Adolescent Pathway) longitudinal survey, which randomly selected youth between the ages of 14 and 17 from a large urban child welfare catchment area in Ontario.  Participating youth were involved with the child welfare system at various points within the system, ranging from intake to out-of-home placement.  Participants were followed for two years, such that data were collected at six, 18, and 24 months past the initial data collection.  As part of the study, participants were asked about experience and frequency of conflict in their dating relationships.  A third of the participants reported dating experiences that did not include verbal, physical, or sexual abuse.  The overall prevalence of adolescent dating violence perpetration and victimization were similar across males and females. However, males involved with child welfare (excluding those living in foster care) were more likely to perpetrate and be victimized, compared with their counterparts living in foster care.  Slightly less than ten percent of the respondents reported dating violence at all four assessment points.

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