Protective Factors Reduce the Association Between Teen Dating Violence and Psychological Problems

Teen dating violence (TDV) is a prevalent public health concern and is associated with many psychological problems. Protective factors help to reduce the associations. This study sought to examine which protective factors significantly attenuate the association between TDV experiences and psychological problems to identify targets for intervention. A school-based sample of 52,911 9th and 11th grade students (51.5% female, 69.9% White) completed the anonymous 2022 Minnesota Student Survey, providing data on TDV experiences, depressive and anxiety symptoms, nonsuicidal self-injury and suicidal ideation, and protective factors such as family support and engagement, safety, extracurricular activities, school engagement, social competency, and positive identity. TDV was reported by 23.2% of females and 11.7% of males and was associated with each psychological problem (p's < .001). Protective factor scores were lower among youth with psychological problems than those without, irrespective of TDV experience. Chi-square tests compared the odds of psychological problems by TDV experience; each protective factor (except number of activities) was associated with lower odds of psychological problems even after adjusting for sociodemographic variables. Primary prevention of TDV and reducing the overall prevalence of psychological problems among youth is critical; results suggest that many types of protective factors may be beneficial for youth, even in the face of adversity such as TDV. Support from adults, positive identity, and social competency were identified as several of the strongest protective factors across each psychological problem.