An empirical study of adolescent dating aggression in the U.K.

The present study provides one of the first empirical investigations of adolescent dating aggression (ADA) in Britain. The survey found almost half of sampled boys, and more than half of sampled girls, experienced psychological, physical and/or sexual aggression. The study found no significant association between religious affiliation, household composition, age, social class or the use of alcohol and ADA. The study also combined quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate the "symmetry of violence" theory, concluding that when the meaning and context of aggression are considered, male physical and sexual aggression is a significant problem in adolescent heterosexual relationships. Copyright 2000 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents.