Graduation Semester and Year
2019
Language
English
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work
Department
Social Work
First Advisor
Beverly Black
Abstract
TDV is a significant social problem that has adverse effects on teens’ health-related behaviors and academic achievement. Several studies have examined the association between TDV and health-related behaviors, and TDV and school outcomes separately. However, only one qualitative study explored the relationship among TDV victimization, health-related behaviors, and school outcomes. There is a need for more studies that examine TDV victimization, health-related behaviors, and school outcomes factors interrelate among high school youth. The purpose of this study is to explore risk factors of TDV, examine the moderating effect of gender or ethnicity on the relationship between TDV victimization and school outcomes, and explore the mediating effect of health-related behaviors on the relationship between TDV victimization and school outcomes. Data from the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) was used. The CDC collects data biennially on risk behaviors among high school youth across the U.S. using the YRBS. This study used multiple imputation to handle missing data. Bivariate analyses included correlations, T-tests, Chi-squares, and logistic regression in SPSS to explore the relationships between the variables. Process MACRO 3.3 was used to conduct moderation and mediation analyses. The sample was comprised of 14,765 high school students. Most participants were 16 to 18 years and older (61.9%). 51.4% of the sample were female; 91.4 % of participants reported that they engaged in at least one or more sexual risk behaviors. Seventy percent of the teens were -others (i.e., White, Multi-racial, Asian, Alaskan-Native, American Indian, and Hawaiian), 19.4% were Black/African-American, and 10.6 % were Hispanic. Thirty-seven percent of participants reported difficulty concentrating in school. Participants reported average grades of 3.39 with the majority of students reporting As (28.9%) and Bs (29.7%) and having substance use of 1.12 on a scale of zero (no substance use) to four (higher levels of substance use). Results indicated that being a younger, female, non-Hispanic, and involving in sexual risk behaviors were risk factors for TDV victimization. Second, neither gender nor ethnicity moderated the relationship between TDV victimization and school outcomes. Finally, physical activity and sleep were mediators of the relationship between TDV victimization and school outcomes. These findings indicate that health-related behaviors are at the center of TDV victimization and academic achievement. School-based TDV prevention programs should include content on the importance of physical activity and sleep in their curricula when addressing healthy relationships. This study calls for multidisciplinary collaborations to address this social problem.
Keywords
Teen dating violence, Victimization, School outcomes, Grades, Concentration, Substance use, Dietary behaviors, Physical activity, Sleep
Disciplines
Social and Behavioral Sciences | Social Work
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Ombayo, Bernadette K., "TEEN DATING VIOLENCE VICTIMIZATION AND SCHOOL OUTCOMES: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF HEALTH-RELATED BEHAVIORS" (2019). Social Work Dissertations. 146.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/socialwork_dissertations/146
Comments
Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington