Testing an Integrated Model of Alcohol Norms and Availability, Binge Drinking, and Teen Dating Violence

This study examined an integrated model that proposes that alcohol availability and alcohol norms will directly and indirectly via binge drinking predict physical, sexual, and emotional teen dating violence (TDV) victimization. These data come from 22,336 high school students (49.6%) from 69 schools who participated in the New Hampshire Youth Risk Behavior Survey in 2017. All teens included in the analyses reported dating in the past year. Perceptions of alcohol availability and peer and parental acceptance of teen drinking related to an increased likelihood of binge drinking, and binge drinking related to an increased risk of physical, sexual, and emotional TDV victimization. Also, alcohol availability and perceived parental and peer norms exerted a direct influence on the increased likelihood of TDV victimization. Lastly, we examined the moderating role of gender on these associations. Only one significant association emerged, such that for boys, but not for girls, perceived parental alcohol norms related to an increased likelihood of emotional TDV victimization. Findings suggest that TDV prevention and risk reduction initiatives need to focus on efforts that reduce binge drinking in teens. Reducing alcohol availability and shifting perceptions of parental alcohol norms and peer alcohol norms could be helpful in reducing both binge drinking and TDV victimization.