文章基本信息

标题：Gender-Equitable Attitudes, Bystander Behavior, and Recent Abuse Perpetration Against Heterosexual Dating Partners of Male High School Athletes
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作者：Heather L. McCauley ; Daniel J. Tancredi ; Jay G. Silverman 等
期刊名称：American journal of public health
印刷版ISSN：0090-0036
出版年度：2013
卷号：103
期号：10
页码：1882-1887
DOI：10.2105/AJPH.2013.301443
语种：English
出版社：American Public Health Association
摘要：Objectives. We assessed the relationship between gender attitudes, identified as a critical component of violence prevention, and abuse toward dating partners among adolescent male athletes. Methods. Our sample comprised 1699 athletes from 16 high schools in northern California who were surveyed between December 2009 and October 2010 in the larger Coaching Boys Into Men trial. We used logistic regression to assess the association between gender-equitable attitudes, bystander behavior, and recent abuse incidents. Results. Athletes with more gender-equitable attitudes and greater intention to intervene were less likely (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.36; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.28, 0.46; and AOR = 0.60; 95% CI = 0.48, 0.75, respectively) and athletes who engaged in negative bystander behavior were more likely (AOR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.10, 1.35) to perpetrate abuse against their female dating partners. Conclusions. Despite the shift among bystander intervention programs toward gender neutrality, our findings suggest a strong association between gender attitudes and dating violence. Programs designed for adolescents should include discussion of gender attitudes and target bystander behavior, because these components may operate on related but distinct pathways to reduce abuse. Adolescent relationship abuse among heterosexual youths is common, with 20% to 25% of adolescents reporting this exposure. 1,2 Adolescent relationship abuse is a gendered exposure. Although adolescent boys report experiencing aggression or physical violence from their female dating partners, 3 women and girls are more likely to experience such violence, particularly sexual assault, and to experience poor health as a result. 4,5 This disparity has been attributed to social norms supportive of male dominance in sexual and dating relationships, normalization of the use of violence as a means of conflict resolution, and the perception that peers support aggressive and abusive behavior. 6,7 Gender-equitable norms (socially prescribed definitions of masculinity and equitable power in sexual relationships) have been recognized by the global health community as a critical component of violence prevention. 8,9 A small body of literature has empirically tested the association of such attitudes with adolescent relationship abuse 10,11 and adult intimate partner violence. 12 Although attitudes that degrade women and legitimize violence have been shown to be modifiable in men, 12–16 limited attention has been paid to addressing norms in the context of dating violence among adolescents. Recent work in the field has focused on the social context of violence by attempting to alter the behavior of men and boys when they witness peers perpetrating physical–sexual abuse, rather than targeting the behavior of individual perpetrators. This bystander intervention approach aims to help witnesses better recognize abusive behaviors and take responsibility to stop them. 17–19 Early bystander intervention programs incorporated conversations about masculinity and power into their curricula, the most notable of which was designed for male high school and college athletes. 20 The athletic context provided a unique opportunity to implement gender-transformative programming within a culture influenced by discourses of masculinity and power, and the program encouraged athletes to model respectful behavior for peers in the greater school community. Today, discussions of gender norms are largely absent from bystander intervention programs so as not to target individual perpetrators. 20 Such gender-neutral programs consider the impact of power imbalances on violence, but the underlying causes of these imbalances are less clearly articulated. In light of the shift in bystander intervention programs toward gender neutrality, 20 despite evidence that sexual violence and harassment are influenced by social norms regarding relationships and masculinity, 21 we empirically examined the relationships between gender-equitable attitudes, bystander behavior, and abuse toward heterosexual dating partners among a sample of male high school athletes.