Longitudinal Associations Between Adolescent Depressive Symptoms and Physical Teen Dating Victimization: Assessing...

Studies have shown that social and interpersonal risk factors often lead to teen dating victimization (TDV); however, scant studies have estimated the link between adolescent depressive symptoms and physical TDV and the mediating effects of peer justification of TDV. Thus, the current study utilized data from the Bullying, Sexual, and Dating Violence Trajectories from Early to Late Adolescence in the Midwestern United States, 2007 to 2013 and General Structural Equation Modeling (GSEM) analysis to address these limitations by (a) exploring the direct association between depressive symptoms and physical TDV and (b) examining the mediating role of peer justification of TDV on the link between depressive symptoms and physical TDV while controlling for cognitive impulsivity, family support, parental monitoring (n = 1,884). Results from GSEM indicated that adolescents who experienced depressive symptoms are more likely to experience physical TDV, which is consistent with the stress generation hypothesis. Indirect effects results suggested that as adolescents experienced depressive symptoms, they were more likely to associate with peers who maintain teen dating violence attitudes, subsequently increasing their likelihood of experiencing physical TDV. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.