Jamaican Adolescents and Adolescent Dating Violence: Perpetration and Victimisation Experiences, and Gender Differences.

Despite the prevalence of violence in Jamaican adult relationships, aggression and violence in intimate relationships among Jamaican adolescents is way understudied. This descriptive study examined sex differences in the perpetration and victimisation experiences of 179 Jamaican adolescents in Grades 9 to 11 from three co-educational schools. Abuse was reported for three categories (i.e., psychological, physical, sexual). Psychological abuse was the most reported form, and most participants reported having been both a victim and a perpetrator of abuse. In general, females were more involved in abusive experiences than males. They reported higher prevalence rates of physical and psychological perpetration, as well as physical victimisation. For sexual abuse, victimisation and perpetration rates were similar for female and male adolescents. Overall, the findings support the need for country-specific research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]