The National Criminal Justice Reference Service and the National Institute of justice announce the result of a new study, “Dating Violence Among Latino Adolescents” (DAVILA), authored by Chiara Sabina, Ph.D., Penn State Harrisburg, Carlos A. Cuevas, Ph.D., Northeastern University, and Kristin A. Bell, M.A., Northeastern University.
The study offers recommendations for professionals who seek to reach out to Latino youth who have been victimized, but are reluctant to report it outside of their social circle.
The abstract from DAVILA explains:
“This study examines various forms of dating violence victimization including physical, sexual, psychological and stalking dating violence in the past year. It analyzes additional forms of victimization that adolescent victims may experience, the formal and informal help-seeking efforts of Latino youth, the effectiveness of services, barriers to help-seeking, and the importance of cultural factors for this population. This study also assesses psychosocial outcomes of victimization, including both psychological consequences and delinquency behaviors, and evaluates the moderating effect of protective factors on the relationship between victimization and negative outcomes.
Results suggest that Latino youth experience significant comorbid victimization and will most likely seek informal help from friends rather than from formal outlets. When they use formal resources, they turn to their schools first. Using informal help-seeking as a gateway to formal help is recommended. The role of Latino orientation and social support is important in diminishing the risk of being victimized and the negative impact of interpersonal violence among these youth.”
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