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According to recent international studies, most of the adolescent victims of physical dating violence remain satisfied and committed toward their abusive relationship, giving way to long-term relationships in which the abuse tends to persist and increase in frequency and severity. The objective of this study is to contribute to the understanding of the stay/leave decision of the adolescent victims of physical dating violence. A structural equation model was estimated to explain the direct and indirect contribution of the level of satisfaction, commitment, justification of the aggression, relationship duration, psychological coercion toward commitment, and the consequences of the abuse on the victims' decision to continue in the abusive relationship. The sample was 456 Latinx adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years. The results corroborate that the decision to leave a physically abusive dating relationship is a complex phenomenon related to subjective variables such as (a) the level of satisfaction, (b) cognitive evaluation of the aggression (especially in those couples who have been together for a long time), and (c) the exposure to psychological pressures toward commitment. Future preventive strategies must incorporate actions to help the youngest to evaluate in a more objective and adequate way, the real quality of their first relationships, and aim to modify the justification of the aggression, the recognition of the potential harm, and to foster an adequate balance between the benefits and harm of staying in the abusive relationship.

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BACKGROUND: Dating violence (DV) is still a global problem of enormous proportions. Scientific and social consensus highlights the necessity of performing typological analyses in order to better understand the diverse violent experiences and intervention needs of the victims. METHOD: The sample comprised 1,308 Mexican and Spanish adolescents aged between 12 and 18, who had been victims of DV. Two-step cluster analyses were performed for each country using the frequency and severity of the victimization as grouping variables, which was followed by an analysis of the differences between clusters in personal and relationship characteristics. RESULTS: The analyses suggested three clusters in both countries: Victims of psychological aggression, Victims of psychological and physical aggression, and Victims of psychological, physical, and sexual aggression. The early start of the first dating relationship and the prolonged exposure to aggression throughout different relationships were associated with the most victimized groups. CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight the need to start intervention strategies at a young age targeting the promotion of skills to recognize and confront violence before it is established as a pattern of coexistence with the significant other

ANTECEDENTES: la violencia en el noviazgo (VN) es un hecho constatado a nivel internacional, resulta necesario profundizar en el conocimiento de la diversidad de las experiencias de las víctimas a través de análisis tipológicos que permitan mejorar las estrategias de intervención existentes. MÉTODO: el objetivo del estudio fue identificar los perfiles de las víctimas de VN en dos países latinos usando como variables de agrupación los tipos de agresión. Participaron 1.308 adolescentes mexicanos y españoles víctimas de VN. Se llevaron a cabo two-step cluster analysis en ambos países en función de la tipos y frecuencia de las agresiones; seguidos de comparaciones entre grupos en las características personales y de la relación. RESULTADOS: los análisis sugieren la formación de tres agrupaciones cluster en ambos países. Los grupos más victimizados se caracterizaron por el inicio temprano de las relaciones y la exposición prolongada a las agresiones en diferentes relaciones. CONCLUSIONES: los hallazgos apuntan a la necesidad de adaptar las intervenciones a edades más tempranas, con el objetivo de promover el desarrollo de habilidades para reconocer y enfrentar la violencia antes de que se normalice, aumente o establezca como un patrón de convivencia estable

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Several scales are used in Dating Violence studies assuming cross-cultural invariance and equivalence of the measures without making the proper validation in the intended populations. This study focuses on the importance of adapting existing dating violence psychological instruments (as the widely recognized Modified Version of the Conflict Tactics Scale, M-CTS) in diverse adolescent populations adjusting to international validation procedures that ensure the cultural fit of the instrument and the measurement invariance of the construct. We sought to adapt the M-CTS in Mexican adolescents (N = 1861; 57.5% woman) following the ITC Guidelines for Translating and Adapting Test. We made an analysis of the linguistic and cultural variables, followed by a Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and the evaluation of Construct and Known Groups Validities. We culturally modified six items and verified the four-factorial structure of the questionnaire proposed in previous studies (argumentation, psychological aggression, mild physical aggression, and sever physical aggression). We also found significant correlations in between the scores of the M-CTS and the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) and the Dominating and Jealous Tactics Scale (DJTS), verifying the Construct Validity of the M-CTS to measure aggressive behaviors. Conclusion: the cultural adaptation of the M-CTS offered adequate reliability and validity scores in Mexican population expanding the possibilities of comparing prevalences of the problem between nations with a reliable instrument based on the same theoretical and methodological perspectives.

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Este artículo forma parte de una investigación más amplia cuyo objetivo fue describir los elementos relacionados con la violencia en parejas gays y lésbicas. Abordamos los resultados sobre la relación de los modelos parentales con la violencia ejercida al interior de estas y otras relaciones interpersonales. Seguimos un método descriptivo cualitativo y utilizamos grupos focales para recopilar la información, en donde participaron ocho hombres gays, seis mujeres lesbianas y una mujer bisexual, reclutados por disponibilidad. Encontramos que presenciar violencia entre los padres o ser expuestos a experiencias tempranas de maltrato destacan como principios favorecedores de futuras dinámicas violentas de pareja; y que el rechazo parental tras "salir del closet", junto con la dificultad para distinguir la violencia fuera del contexto heterosexual familiar, son obstáculos para detectar y afrontar la violencia.

This article is part of a wider study that has the objective of describing the elements related to violence among gay and lesbian couples. The authors analyze the results of looking at the relation between the parental model and violence inflicted within these and other interpersonal relationships. We used a qualitative descriptive method and focal groups to collect information with participation from 8 gay men, 6 lesbian women and 1 bisexual woman, who were selected based on their availability. The authors concluded that witnessing violence between parents or being exposed to early violent experiences were significant factors in encouraging violent dynamics within. In addition, parental rejection after "coming out of the closet" along with the difficulty with identifying violence outside of the generally accepted heterosexual family context were obstacles for identifying different types of violence.

Este artigo é parte de uma pesquisa mais ampla cujo objetivo foi descrever os elementos relacionados com a violência em casais homoafetivos. Abordamos os resultados da influência dos modelos parentais sobre a violência nestes relacionamentos e outras relações interpessoais. Seguimos um método descritivo qualitativo e utilizamos grupos focais como técnica de coleta de informaçõe. Participaram 8 homens gays, 6 mulheres lésbicas e 1 mulher bissexual. Descobrimos que testemunhar a violência entre os pais ou ser expostos a experiências precoces de abuso posicionaram-se como elementos que provocaram dinã¢micas violentas entre eles; e que a rejeição dos pais depois de " sair do armário", juntamente com a dificuldade que eles experimentaram para distinguir a violência fora do contexto heterossexual familiar foram os obstáculos para detectar a violência.

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