Article

3-IT WON’T HAPPEN TO ME: ADDRESSING ADOLESCENTS’ RISK PERCEPTION OF DATING VIOLENCE
by
JOHN CHAPIN , LEON STRIMEL & GRACE COLEMAN

Objective: High school and middle school students are at the highest risk of domestic abuse and sexual assault of any age cohorts in the United States. A survey of adolescents explored four questions about dating abuse: (1) How much do adolescents know about dating violence? (2) Do adolescents have realistic perceptions of their own risks of victimization? (3) What role does self-esteem play in skewed risk perception? (4) What relationship exists between optimistic bias and self-efficacy? Method: Survey of 1,646 adolescents. Results: Findings suggest adolescents know quite a bit about dating violence, but common misconceptions persist. Adolescents exhibited optimistic bias, believing they are less likely than peers to become victims of dating violence. This skewed perspective was related to self-esteem, knowledge, and age. Conclusions: Violence prevention programs should include units on common myths about dating violence. By addressing and reducing bias, advocates may be able to increase self-protective vigilance and ultimately reduce the amount of dating violence among adolescents. While one does not want to reduce adolescents’ self-esteem to protect them from harm, it is important to foster realistic perceptions about the world around them.

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ISSN: 2497-2495

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