Parent-to-child aggression, rejection sensitivity, and adolescent dating abuse

The objective of this project is to examine mechanisms explaining the connection between experiencing parent-to-child aggression and adolescent dating abuse (DA; also referred to as teen dating violence). Dating abuse is defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2016) as physical, sexual, psychological, and/or stalking behaviors between two people in a close current or former relationship that can take place in person or electronically. The CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance estimated that 8.0% of high school students experienced dating physical victimization in the past year (Kann et al., 2018), whereas rates are substantially higher for other forms of dating victimization such as psychological aggression (Wincentak, Connolly, & Card, 2017). Beyond the alarmingly high prevalence rates, dating abuse brings a host of long-term consequences, with victims at an increased risk of developing depression, PTSD, substance use disorders, and other mental health problems (Exner-Cortens et al., 2013). Importantly, early dating abuse increases the likelihood of continued dating abuse and intimate partner violence into adulthood (Ozer et al., 2004; Exner-Cortens et al., 2013), to which the lifetime economic burden is estimated around $3.6 trillion (USD) accounting for medical costs, loss in productivity among victims and perpetrators alike, co-occurring criminal activity involvement, and other factors (Peterson et al., 2018). Therefore, early prevention of dating abuse is imperative on both an individual and societal level.

Recent research suggests that victimization by one’s parents increases the likelihood of both perpetrating and being victimized through dating abuse in adolescence (Goncy, Basting, & Dunn, in press). However the identification of mechanisms (e.g., rejection sensitivity) and protective factors (e.g., self-regulation) explaining this association is still needed. One understudied explanation for this association is rejection sensitivity, which refers to the disposition for those with a history of victimization to defensively expect, readily perceive, and intensely react to rejection in close relationships (Downey, Bonica, & Rincon, 1999; Volz & Kerig, 2010). On the other hand, socioemotional health, especially strengths in self-regulation, could protect against the development of rejection sensitivity despite a history of victimization; however little research has examined this association. Self-regulation is defined as efforts by an individual, both consciously and unconsciously, to regulate their thoughts, emotions, impulses, attentional processes, and task performances (Vohs & Baumeister, 2004). Previous findings have suggested that self-regulation strengths may buffer against the effects of rejection sensitivity on later interpersonal difficulties (Ayduk et al., 2000; Romero et al., 2010), however this model still needs further application for dating abuse prevention among maltreated youth. Therefore, there are two main objectives to answer these research questions:

1. Test whether rejection sensitivity acts as a risk factor (i.e., mediates) between experiencing parent-to-child aggression and dating abuse perpetration and victimization of both physical and psychological forms

2. Examine the protective (i.e., moderating) role of self-regulation in the association between rejection sensitivity and dating abuse among maltreated youth.

The final objective of this research is related to helping the principal investigator, Evan Basting, complete his Master’s thesis project. Funds will be used for summer student funding to prepare the study, purchase of proprietary instruments, and participant compensation.