Intimate partner violence in adolescence: an analysis of gender and generation

Objective: to analyze the intimate partner violence in adolescence from the perspective of gender and generation. Method: Quantitative, descriptive, and exploratory research. 111 adolescents participated in this study, with ages from 15 to 19 years old. Results: We found that 91% of participants have perpetrated and 90.1% have undergone at least one of the natures of violence. The intimate partner violence in adolescence constitutes a form of gender violence, and gender constructions have determined the suffered and perpetrated aggressions, possibly also determining the naturalization and legitimization of such aggressions. The inequality of power between generations may determine greater vulnerability of youngsters to the phenomenon. Conclusion: The historical and social construction of masculinity and femininity and the power inequalities set by these constructions converge with the power inequality between generations. Thus, gender and generation are determinants of intimate partner violence in adolescence, as well as of the vulnerability of adolescents to this phenomenon.