Relationship between Dating Violence and Mental Health of Young Victims and Perpetrators: A Systematic Review

The objective of this study was to systematize knowledge from studies of the relationship between dating violence and mental health of victims and perpetrators. A systematic review of articles published from 1981 to 2021, with a population aged 12 to 29 years and English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese as the publication languages, was performed. The search was carry out in seven information sources: EBSCO, PsycINFO, PUBMED, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, SCOPUS, and WOS. Of the 2925 articles that were found, 27 studies were included (10 of which were longitudinal). An impact of dating violence on the mental health of adolescent victims was detected, with depression as the most frequently triggered effect in young people, followed by anxiety, suicidal ideation, low self-esteem, and low emotional well-being. The results indicate the need to design, implement, and evaluate different alternatives for the prevention of DV. In addition, in longitudinal studies, physical, psychological, and sexual dating violence victimization is associated with depressive symptoms, post-traumatic stress, suicidal ideation, and anxiety. In perpetrators of psychological dating violence, it is related to depressive symptoms, anxiety, and hostility. The findings of the present study can contribute to the creation of future research programs for promoting healthy couple relationships among adolescents and young people.