The following is a summary of “Proxies of Emotion Dysregulation and Teen Dating Violence Perpetration: A Latent Profile Analysis,” published in the July 2023 issue of the Adolescent Health by Medina et al.

Teen dating violence (TDV) necessitates attention as a public health concern owing to its widespread occurrence and correlation with adverse health consequences among individuals who experience it. To mitigate TDV, assessing the risk factors associated with the perpetration of dating violence in younger populations is crucial. Utilizing a population health framework, this study examined the correlations between factors influencing emotion regulation and the perpetration of multiple types of Teen Dating Violence (TDV) within a heterogeneous cohort of high school students. A latent profile analysis was performed on a cohort of 1,508 students to examine four self-reported variables about emotion regulation. 

These variables included anger regulation, depressive symptoms, impulsivity, and alcohol use. Subsequently, regression analyses were employed to examine the association between latent profile membership and self-reported perpetration of Teen Dating Violence (TDV) throughout two time points. A three-profile solution was identified as the optimal fit solution (profile 1: n = 1,023, profile 2: n = 43, and profile 3: n = 442). Profile one exhibited suboptimal results across all indicators; profile two displayed an elevated mean of recent alcohol consumption; and profile three demonstrated relatively low to moderate means across all hands. 

Profile two exhibited a higher prevalence of lifetime perpetration and perpetration within one year. However, all three profiles indicated only infrequent perpetration in a medical context. This study discovered that an emotional regulatory framework was relevant for evaluating certain risks of Teen Dating Violence (TDV). These findings support the need for additional research on the association between emotion regulation and perpetration of Teen Dating Violence (TDV). However, it is essential to consider incorporating risk factors from various socio-ecological levels to enhance the existing theoretical frameworks.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1054139X23001076