A Meta-Analytic Review of Peer Risk Factors and Adolescent Dating Violence

Objective: Dating violence occurs frequently among adolescents and is associated with negative physical and psychosocial outcomes. Because of the variety of peer risk factors, methodologies, and the evolving literature in adolescent dating violence, a meta-analytic review of these peer influences is needed. Three peer risk factors that appear to be particularly important for adolescent involvement in dating violence include peers' violent dating behaviors, peers' aggressive and/or antisocial behavior, and being victimized by peers. Method: Three separate meta-analyses were conducted to synthesize the literature on each of the 3 peer risk factors for adolescent dating violence, incorporating 27 articles and data from 28,491 adolescents. Results: Meta analyses illustrated that peer dating violence (r = .30), peers' aggressive and/or antisocial behavior (r = .20) and being victimized by peers (r = .22) were all significantly related to adolescent dating violence perpetration and victimization. Moderation analyses showed differential results depending on how sex was analyzed, sampling techniques, and type of peer behaviors. Conclusion: The current study provided a necessary fusion of the literature on 3 distinct peer risk factors for adolescent dating violence. The findings inform current theoretical perspectives that address peer risk factors for adolescent dating violence, inform existing dating violence prevention programs, and provide future research directions for examining relations between peer behaviors and dating violence.