The relationship between dating violence and psychosocial problems in a sample of adolescent pregnancy termination patients

The relationship between dating violence and 13 psychosocial problems, conceptually organized into three symptom clusters - depressive, family problem, and posttraumatic stress - was investigated in a sample of adolescent pregnancy termination patients, ages 14 to 21. Results of a multivariate multiple-regression analysis indicated that, after controlling for age, ethnicity, general aggression problems, and problems with peers, dating violence was significantly related with the symptoms clusters. At the univariate level, the results suggested that dating violence was significantly related with self-esteem problems, guilt, and suicidal thinking from the depressive symptoms cluster and with guilt and stress from the posttraumatic stress cluster. The implications of these findings are discussed.