DOI: 10.3886/icpsr34741.v1
title: Technology, Teen Dating Violence and Abuse, and Bullying in Three States, 2011-2012
title: Version 1

description: This project examined the role of technology use in teen dating violence and abuse, and bullying. The goal of the project was to expand knowledge about the types of abuse experiences youth have, the extent of victimization and perpetration via technology and new media (e.g., social networking sites, texting on cellular phones), and how the experience of such cyber abuse within teen dating relationships or through bullying relates to other life factors. This project carried out a multi-state study of teen dating violence and abuse, and bullying, the main component of which included a survey of youth from ten schools in five school districts in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, gathering information from 5,647 youth about their experiences. The study employed a cross-sectional, survey research design, collecting data via a paper-pencil survey. The survey targeted all youth who attended school on a single day and achieved an 84 percent response rate.
description: The Urban Institute's Justice Policy Center examined the role of youth technology use in teen dating violence and abuse, and bullying. The goal of the study was to expand knowledge about the types of abuse experiences youth have, the extent of victimization and perpetration via technology and new media, such as social networking sites and texting on cellular phones, and how experiencing such cyber abuse within teen dating relationships or through bullying relates to other life factors. This study contributes to the knowledge base on which policy and program developers, school administrators, victim advocates, and criminal justice personnel rely on to develop evidence-based policies and strategies to address these problems. The specific questions asked in this study was in two main parts: <b>Teen Dating Violence and Abuse</b> : To understand the role of cyber abuse in youth dating violence and abuse. How often do youth experience dating violence and abuse victimization? How often do youth perpetrate dating violence and abuse? Does teen dating violence and abuse vary by gender, and is it reciprocal? Does teen dating violence and abuse vary by other subgroup status? Does teen dating violence and abuse happen at school? Do teen dating violence and abuse victims seek help? How often does cyber dating abuse co-occur with other types of violence and abuse, including cyber bullying? How does cyber dating abuse relate to other life factors? <b>Bullying</b> : To understand the role of cyber bullying in youth's lives. How often do youth experience bullying victimization? How often do youth perpetrate bullying? Does bullying vary by gender, and do bullying victims and perpetrators overlap? Does bullying vary by other subgroup status? Does bullying happen at school? Do bullying victims seek help? How often does cyber bullying co-occur with other types of violence and abuse, including cyber dating abuse? How does cyber bullying relate to other life factors?
description: The study employed a cross-sectional survey research design to capture the prevalence of youths' experiences with teen dating violence and abuse, and bullying. Particularly in regards to cyber abuse; compared those rates across differing subgroups of youth; and examined the correlational associations between such experiences and other life factors. The study conducted a large-scale survey of 7th to 12th grade youth, using a convenience sampling of schools in the Northeastern United States. The sampling goals were : To achieve a sample size large enough to examine teen dating violence and abuse, and bullying, given that only a portion of any sample would report such experiences. To recruit schools that were willing to allow access to youth on a single school day to conduct a survey about sensitive topics. To recruit schools with populations diverse enough to yield sizable, racially/ethnically and socioeconomically diverse subgroups of youth. The final study sample included ten schools across five school districts located in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The survey questions asked youth about their demographic backgrounds; technology use; experiences with dating relationships, including violence and abuse; experiences with bullying; other risky behaviors (e.g., sexual activity, substance use); psychosocial adjustment (e.g., depression, anger/hostility); family relationships; and school experiences. The surveys were conducted in classrooms and administered by school staff trained by the research team, with the New York and Pennsylvania schools surveyed in October and November 2011, and the New Jersey schools surveyed in April 2012.
description: The Technology, Teen Dating Violence and Abuse, and Bullying in Three States dataset is composed of 669 variables and 5,647 records. It contains variables on the demographic backgrounds of the youths, family relationships, school experiences, computer use, cellphone use, experiences with dating relationships, experiences in cyber dating abuse, experiences with physical dating violence, experiences with bullying, experiences with psychological abuse, sexual activity and coercion, substance use, help sought and received, psychosocial adjustment state, and some recoded versions of the previously mentioned variables.
description: Response Rates: 84 percent.
description: Youths in attendance at school for the day the survey was conducted in 2011 and 2012, from ten middle and high schools in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
description: Datasets: DS1: Technology, Teen Dating Violence and Abuse, and Bullying Data
description: Adolescents attending high school and middle school in the states of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Smallest Geographic Unit: State
description: paper and pencil interview (PAPI); on-site questionnaireQuality control of the data entry process involved close monitoring of data entry staff and random selection of surveys for review. Staff were trained to identify surveys that appeared to be not taken seriously and were brought to the project director to verify that the survey should not be entered. Also, surveys were checked if the respondent answered the most severe frequency option to all abuse (victimization and perpetration) and risk behaviors. These were reviewed and a final determination to either include or remove the survey was based on the likelihood that the survey was taken in seriousness. Approximately four percent of the surveys taken were removed from the final sample after data entry and data cleaning.