Gaining a better understanding of peer group contributions to dating aggression--implications for prevention and intervention programming: comment on kinsfogel and grych (2004)

Abstract

K. M. Kinsfogel and J. H. Grych's (2004) article presents a theoretical model to examine the mechanisms by which interparental conflict is associated with adolescents' dating aggression. The study is noteworthy in its focus on the influence of less severe forms of interparental conflict than in most prior investigations, and in the attention it places on the peer group social context in understanding the subtleties of adolescents' intimate relationships. The study provides valuable information about the association between conflictual marital relations and dating aggression among male adolescents while highlighting the need for new models to understand the role of marital conflict in the expression of dating aggression among female adolescents. The study has important implications for partnering with male adolescents to design and adapt dating aggression programs.