Youths' Definitions of Dating Aggression: Context and Measurement

327 Pages·2017·10.33 MB·English

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Electronic Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Major Papers
2016
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Kelly Alexis Anthony-Brown
University of Windsor
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd
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Anthony-Brown, Kelly Alexis, "Youths' Definitions of Dating Aggression: Context and Measurement"
(2016). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 5684.
https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/5684
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Youths’ Definitions of Dating Aggression: Context and Measurement

By

Kelly Anthony-Brown

A Dissertation
Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies
through the Department of Psychology
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for
the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
at the University of Windsor

Windsor, Ontario, Canada
2016

© 2016 Kelly Anthony-Brown
Youths’ Definitions of Dating Aggression: Context and Measurement

by

Kelly Anthony-Brown

APPROVED BY

_____________________________________________
E. S. Byers, External Examiner
University of New Brunswick

_____________________________________________
D. Kane
Faculty of Nursing

_____________________________________________
J. Hakim-Larson
Department of Psychology

______________________________________________
C. Thomas
Department of Psychology

_____________________________________________
P. Timmons Fritz
Department of Psychology

February 5, 2016
iii
DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY
I hereby certify that I am the sole author of this thesis and that no part of this
thesis has been published or submitted for publication.
I certify that, to the best of my knowledge, my thesis does not infringe upon
anyone’s copyright nor violate any proprietary rights and that any ideas, techniques,
quotations, or any other material from the work of other people included in my thesis,
published or otherwise, are fully acknowledged in accordance with the standard
referencing practices. Furthermore, to the extent that I have included copyrighted
material that surpasses the bounds of fair dealing within the meaning of the Canada
Copyright Act, I certify that I have obtained a written permission from the copyright
owner(s) to include such material(s) in my thesis and have included copies of such
copyright clearances to my appendix.
I declare that this is a true copy of my thesis, including any final revisions, as
approved by my thesis committee and the Graduate Studies office, and that this thesis has
not been submitted for a higher degree to any other University or Institution.
iv
ABSTRACT
Most research on dating aggression in youth uses act-based questionnaires created by
adult researchers, which measure the frequency of specific behaviours but not the context
in which the behaviours occurred. This study used mixed methods to investigate whether
attitudes and definitions of dating aggression assessed via these act-based questionnaires
fully capture the experiences and opinions of emerging adults. University students (ages
17-20 years) completed quantitative self-report questionnaires (n = 172; 70% women) or
took part in focus group discussions (n = 21; 57% female) regarding attitudes toward and
involvement in dating aggression. I explicitly compared the quantitative and qualitative
data to demonstrate how views of dating aggression in youth differed according to
method of measurement. Participants also identified factors that influenced the
development of their beliefs about dating aggression in order to provide insight into the
context in which dating aggression is understood by young people. Quantitative
questionnaires adequately captured the types of aggressive behaviours experienced by
participants, but did not capture the nuanced beliefs and judgments that participants made
about dating aggression. Quantitative questionnaires alone did not provide information
about differences between beliefs and behaviours, differences in judging aggression in
youths’ own versus others’ relationships, and the important role of patriarchy and gender
roles in how participants understood dating aggression. The context in which participants
developed these views about dating aggression was complex and dynamic, and included
multiple intersecting factors such as family, friends, culture, media, and education.
Findings point to a need for more context-sensitive measurement of dating aggression
and acknowledgement that attitudes towards dating aggression may not be as
v
straightforward as suggested by quantitative data from the questionnaires typically used
in the field.
vi
DEDICATION
This dissertation is dedicated to my mother, Dr. Susan Elizabeth Anthony, the
most brilliant and caring woman I know. Your own tireless graduate work showed me
that it was possible. You were my constant inspiration throughout this process and I hope
you are as proud of this piece of work as I am of you, always.
vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost, an enormous debt of gratitude goes to my research supervisor,
Dr. Patti Timmons Fritz. Thank you for your expertise, feedback, and guidance. Thank
you in particular for your patience and understanding as I took a less than conventional
timeline through grad school. A heartfelt thank you as well for providing a strong
example of how to be a professional and a mother at the same time.
Sincere thanks to my committee members for your wisdom and ongoing
feedback. To Dr. Charlene Senn and Dr. Sylvia Voelker, who oversaw the beginning
stages of this project and to Dr. Debbie Kane, who provided valuable guidance, and
encouragement throughout the entire process. Thank you to Dr. Julie Hakim-Larson and
Dr. Cheryl Thomas for joining the committee mid-stream and helping to shape the final
product. Collectively, you have helped improve the quality of this piece of work
infinitely. A special thank you to Barb Zakoor for her multi-faceted support and
guidance throughout my graduate school career.
An enormous thank you to my grad cohort who quickly became dear friends and,
arguably, the most valuable thing to come out of graduate school. Thank you to “The
Childs,” Dr. Holly Ambrose, Dr. Sarah Setchell, and Vanessa Bruce for your friendship
and free therapy. Thank you to Dr. Anna Arcuri for the laughter, stats help, and delicious
charcuterie. Thank you to Dr. Bojana Budisin and Dr. Andrea Kapeleris for dance parties
at the Hallo Home and yoga dates. A particular thank you to my internship partner in
crime, Dr. Jill Haydicky, for her endless support, feedback, and inspiration. Also a huge
thank you to my non-psychology friends for putting up with me and reminding me that
life exists outside the grad school bubble.
viii
Lastly, thank you to my family. To Mum and Dad for raising me to value
education and myself, for editing my writing, for all your encouragement, for your
shoulders on which I cried a lot, for your support, both financial and emotional, and for
the free child care. I will never be able to thank you enough. To my sister, Steph, thank
you for always being my champion, reminding me that I am capable, and putting up with
my cranky attitude. To my husband, Drew, thank you for your love and support. Thank
you for bringing perspective to my life and pretending to be interested when I go off on
an academic rant. And though she continues to be completely unaware that I have any
function other than as her primary attachment figure and keeper of the fish crackers,
thank you to my amazing daughter, Ava, for being the ultimate motivation and reminding
me that being a parent really is the most important work of all.
ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY.................................................................................iii
ABSTRACT..........................................................................................................................iv
DEDICATION......................................................................................................................vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................................................vii
LIST OF TABLES...............................................................................................................xv
LIST OF APPENDICES....................................................................................................xvii
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW........................................1
Prevalence and Incidence of Dating Aggression.......................................................6
Definitions of Dating Aggression............................................................................10
Dating Aggression Definitions from the Literature.....................................12
Young People’s Definitions of Dating Aggression.....................................13
Terminology Used by Young People...........................................................15
Gender Differences in Youths’ Definitions.................................................16
Gender Symmetry in Dating Aggression.................................................................17
Family Violence Theories............................................................................17
Feminist Theories.........................................................................................19
Johnson’s Partner Violence Typology.........................................................23
Coercive Controlling Violence........................................................25
Situational Couple Violence............................................................26
Violent Resistance...........................................................................27
Separation-Instigated Violence........................................................27

Young People’s Views on Gender Symmetry.............................................30
Young People’s Attitudes Toward Dating Aggression............................................33
Effect of Perpetrator Gender........................................................................34