Joshua Murphy, and Niwako Yamawaki, Psychology

Introduction:

Domestic violence is on the rise and poses serious societal and health concerns. Studies have shown that between 21% and 34% of all women in the United States will be physically assaulted by an intimate partner (Browne, 1993). Shockingly, 1 of every 5 female high school students have reported physical and/or sexual assault by her date (Silverman, Raj, Mucci, & Hathaway, 2001). Furthermore, in Japan a study done by Nakata (2007) found that 30% of female high school participants reported they had experienced unwanted sexual activity. It is important that this study occurs given the lack of investigation in adolescents’ knowledge of dating violence and ability to recognize the signs of this violence especially in Japan (Hara, Nagamatsu, Nakagawa, & Saito, 2012). With the knowledge from this study preventative steps can be taken in order to avoid the negative affects that domestic violence brings on the individuals who are subject to these situations. Domestic violence is not discriminative in race or location and has shown to have drastic effects on those who fall victim to it. Studies need to be a major priority due to the damage and scars left by domestic violence. By approving this study the future shows to have a promising cure to the plague of domestic violence. This study helps to fulfill the very goals that BYU has proposed as its mission statement. This study helps by assisting individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life as well as provide learning in a setting where a commitment to excellence is expected and the full realization of human potential can be studied and pursued. The importance of each individual is realized and pursued in the BYU setting and this study will attempt to understand domestic violence in order to provide preventative steps for that violence.

Methodology:

The participants of the study were from Saga Japan and live within a rural district comprised of an area of about 2,439 km and a population of 866,000. Schools were randomly selected and students from ages 13-15 participated. To gather the information different scales were created or customized for the appropriateness of the participants. These scales were aimed to measure the recognition of signs of domestic violence, knowledge of dating violence, attitude toward sexual activity, perceived knowledge of domestic violence and dating violence, and attitude toward dating relationships. These scales were reviewed and approved by The Ethics Committee of Saga University Medical School. These surveys were administered only with consent of all parties involved including principals, parents, and participants. To ensure confidentiality teachers were asked to leave the classroom and remain in the hallway until students finish the survey and seal them in envelopes. Once the data was collected and entered into computers it was then analyzed. The previous portion of the study occurred a while back and all that was done was statistical analysis. The data was analyzed and studied to find the results.

Results:

Girls tended to know more about the nature of dating violence, had an attitude of greater endorsement for an equal/caring romantic relationship, and had a higher perceived knowledge of dating violence and domestic violence than boys. Boys who had conservative attitudes toward sexual activities, desired an equal/caring relationship, and perceived that they knew about dating violence tended to have a greater ability to recognize the signs of physical and psychological violence.

Discussion:

The gender differences in the knowledge about dating violence or perceived knowledge of domestic and dating violence may be due to the fact that women are more likely to be victims of such violence and that they are more interested in knowing about this violence when compared to boys. Given that recognizing the warning signs of domestic violence is the first step in obtaining help from others, it is vital to educate young adolescents about an equal/caring intimate relationship by providing them with opportunities to learn practical skills for developing healthy relationships. It is also important to offer prevention programs that are tailored to genders and violence types, along with education about a healthy, equal/caring dating relationship.

References

Browne, A. (1993). Violence against women by male partners prevalence, outcomes, and policy implications. American Psychologist, 48, 1077-1087.

Hara, K., Nagamatsu, M., Nagagawa, A., & Saito, H. (2012). How the frequency of conversation between junior high school students and their parents/teachers is related to the students’ knowledge, awareness and behavior regarding dating and sexually transmitted diseases. Adolescentology, 30, 223-234. (in Japanese).

Nakata, K. (2007). Do you know about date DV?: Date DV and its prevention education, Journal of Midwifery, 61, 54-59. (in Japanese).

Silverman, J. G., Raj, A., Clements, K. (2004). Dating violence and associated sexual risk and pregnancy among adolescent girls in the United States. Pediatrics, 114(2), 220-225.