Adolescent-Parent Communication Among Youth Who Have and Have Not Experienced Dating Violence

The current study examines the impact of adolescent-parent communication, which can play a significant role in alleviating risk behaviors, especially adolescent dating violence (ADV). Adolescents (N=55; 28 males and 27 females), majority of whom were Latinos, were recruited from social service agencies serving youth and families. Adolescents completed a paper survey on the Parent-Adolescent Communication (comprised of open and problematic subscales) and Revised Conflict Tactics scales. T-tests and ANOVAs were conducted revealing that youth with ADV experience reported lower overall communication levels with their parents and increased problematic communication, especially with their mothers than adolescents with no ADV experience. No significant difference emerged by age or gender but Latino youth who experience ADV had lower levels of problematic communication with both parents. Teens, whose mothers were receiving domestic violence-related services, versus who were not receiving services, reported more overall communication with their mothers. Implications for educators, practitioners, and research are provided.