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Updated: May 12, 2026
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Published on: December 14, 2014
Developmental Associations Between Adolescent Alcohol Use and Dating Aggression
H Luz McNaughton Reyes1, Vangie A Foshee, Daniel J Bauer
1Gillings School of Global Public Health, Department of Health Behavior, CB#7440, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC Chapel Hill NC 29975-7440.
Summary
Research shows alcohol use and dating aggression in teens are linked, but shared risk factors explain much of this connection. Prevention should focus on these common causes, not just the behaviors themselves.
Area of Science:
- Adolescent psychology
- Public health
- Criminology
Background:
- Established link between adult alcohol use and partner violence.
- Limited research on adolescent alcohol use and dating aggression.
- Need to understand shared risk factors in adolescence.
Purpose of the Study:
- Examine the relationship between alcohol use and dating aggression in adolescents (grades 8-12).
- Control for shared risk factors predicting both behaviors.
- Investigate concurrent and prospective associations.
Main Methods:
- Multivariate growth models used.
- Longitudinal data from grades 8 through 12 analyzed.
- Controlled for common risk factors.
Main Results:
- Associations between alcohol use and dating aggression trajectories significantly reduced when common causes were controlled.
- Concurrent associations were significant across most grades.
- No prospective links found between prior alcohol use and subsequent dating aggression, or vice versa.
Conclusions:
- Shared risk factors substantially explain the link between adolescent alcohol use and dating aggression.
- Prevention efforts should target common underlying causes.
- Focusing on shared risk factors may be more effective than targeting behaviors in isolation.
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