Jeff R. Temple

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious and widespread public health concern. Not only has it been the subject of thousands of papers published over the past three decades, but it also appears frequently in legal proceedings across criminal, civil, and family court contexts. To have currency in the field, forensic experts and other individuals working in court systems must identify and synthesize a wide and complex body of literature, from the conceptual underpinnings of IPV to issues of memory and trauma, many of which may affect victim participation, testimony, and credibility. In this review, we provide a comprehensive and concise summary of several foundational IPV studies, as well as some that have built upon these theoretical models and empirically tested the premises, focusing on key findings relevant to legal proceedings. We also spotlight potential avenues of expert testimony, including “counterintuitive” victim behavior, coercive control, persistence in abusive relationships, delayed reporting, technology‐facilitated abuse, and factors that may impact the way in which IPV is manifested or reported (e.g., cultural factors, interpersonal context). Finally, we discuss the wider implications of this work for law and policy, focusing on the continuous need for empirically‐grounded testimony in the courtroom.

Introduction: Middle adolescence involves increasingly complex stressors, yet it remains unclear how coping strategies cluster into distinct profiles, how those profiles change across time, and whether profile structure is comparable across gender. We used latent class and transition analysis across three annual waves to identify coping profiles, model transitions, and examine perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and general self-efficacy by profile. Methods: Participants were 964 adolescents (mean age = 16.1 years; 56% female) from public high schools in Texas who completed surveys in spring 2011 with two annual follow-ups. The sample self-identified as Hispanic (32%), White (30%), African American (27%), or other (11%). Latent class/transition models estimated profile membership, transitions, and gender differences in prevalence and transition probabilities. Results: Four coping profiles emerged: Minimal Copers, Maximum Copers, Introverted Approach–Avoidant Copers, and Independent Problem-Solving Copers. Profile structure was comparable for females and males, although prevalence and transition differed. At Wave 4, Introverted Approach–Avoidant Copers reported the highest perceived stress and depressive symptoms, whereas Minimal and Independent Problem-Solving Copers reported lower perceived stress and depressive symptoms. Independent Problem-Solving and Maximum Copers reported higher general self-efficacy, whereas Minimal Copers reported the lowest. Conclusions: Coping in adolescence is heterogeneous and shifts over time, with gender differences in profile prevalence and transitions; findings highlight potential targets for tailored support and self-efficacy enhancement.

Background: We sought to better understand the impact of exposure to active shooter drills (ASDs) on students’ perceived stress, including those with disabilities and prior experiences with trauma. Methods: We used data from a longitudinal study of ethnically diverse students (n = 2,033; 53.5% female) originally recruited in 2018 and followed annually thereafter. In addition to self-reporting on their perceived stress with ASDs, participants responded to questions about adverse childhood experiences, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and disability. Results: Female students and those with a disability, probable anxiety, and suicidal ideation were more likely to be anxious after an ASD. Conclusion: While necessary given the increasing reality of school shootings in the United States, our results indicate that active shooter drills should be implemented with concern for vulnerable groups, including distressed students and those with a history of traumatic experiences or who have a disability.

Developing accurate and equitable screening protocols can lead to more targeted, efficient, and effective, teen dating violence (TDV) prevention programming. Current TDV screening protocols perform poorly and are rarely implemented, but recent research and policy emphasizes the importance of leveraging more trauma-focused screening measures for improved prevention outcomes. In response, the present study examined which adversities (i.e., indices of family violence), trauma-focused risk factors (i.e., threat and reward biases) and strengths (i.e., social support and racial/ethnic identity) best classified concurrent and prospective risk for physical and psychological forms of TDV-perpetration. Participants included 584 adolescents aged 12–18 years (M_Age = 14.43; SD = 1.22), evenly distributed across gender (48.9% female), race (35% African American; 38.5% White) and ethnicity (40% Hispanic). Surveys completed at baseline and 1-year follow-up were analyzed using an evidence-based medicine (EBM) analytic protocol (i.e., logistic regression, area-under-the-curve; (AUC), diagnostic likelihood ratios (DLR), calibration curves) and compared to machine learning models. Results revealed hostility best classified risk for concurrent and prospective physical TDV-perpetration (AUCs > 0.70; DLRs > 2.0). Additionally, domestic violence (DV) exposure best forecasted prospective psychological TDV-perpetration (AUC > 0.70; DLR > 3.0). Both indices were well-calibrated (i.e., non-significant Spiegelhalter’s Z statistics) and statistically fair. Machine learning models added minimal incremental validity. Results demonstrate the importance of prioritizing hostility and DV-exposure for accurate, equitable, and feasible screening for physical and psychological forms of TDV-perpetration, respectively. Integrating these findings into existing prevention protocols can lead to a more targeted approach to reducing TDV-perpetration.

Background/Objectives: Test efficacy of the social emotional learning (SEL)-based Mighty Girls program, a program culturally tailored for English-speaking Hispanic/Latino girls in seventh grade comprised of classroom sessions and a virtual reality computer game. We hypothesized that the curriculum would decrease risky sexual behaviors in a program that can be used as part of a comprehensive sex education curriculum or as a stand-alone program. Methods: A randomized group trial was conducted in which 22 low-income, predominately Hispanic schools within the Miami-Dade County Public School System were randomly assigned to intervention (consented n = 335) and control (consented n = 217) conditions. All study activities occurred after school. Primary outcome measures were resistance self-efficacy, acceptance of dating violence, sexual intentions, and sexual behavior. Assessments occurred at baseline, immediately post-intervention, 3-, 12-, and 24-months post-intervention. Changes in outcomes from baseline to 24 months were modeled using multi-level models to account for nesting of students within schools with full information maximum likelihood to account for missing data and baseline school attendance and enrollment in free and reduced lunch as covariates. Analyses are also controlled for multiple testing. Results: The program had a significant effect on reducing acceptance of dating violence at 24 months post-intervention (estimate = −0.083, p ≤ 0.05), but no effect on resistance self-efficacy, sexual intentions, or sexual behavior (p ≥ 0.58). Conclusion: Study findings demonstrate that a social emotional learning (SEL) curriculum can impact sexual behaviors such as susceptibility to dating violence. Low baseline levels for sexual intentions and behaviors as well as a high baseline of efficacy may have impacted findings for the other outcomes.

Purpose Teen dating violence (TDV) is a global public health and safety issue causing health impacts to youth people. This study aimed to examine: (1) the impact of the pandemic on TDV victimisation rates and (2) socioecological factors associated with sustained risk for TDV victimisation during the first year of COVID-19. Methods Data are from an ongoing randomised controlled trial of a TDV prevention programme in Texas (n=2768). We conducted annual assessments in 2019–2021. We used regression modelling to assess demographic, individual, peer and family factors associated with TDV risks. Results TDV rates declined from 11.9% in 2019 to 5.2% in 2021. While demographic, peer and family/household factors were not associated with TDV victimisation during the pandemic, individual-level factors (ie, early sexual debut, substance use, acceptance of violence and prior TDV involvement) were related to COVID-era risks. Only early sexual debut was uniquely linked to TDV victimisation risk the first year of COVID-19. Conclusions While TDV rates declined during the pandemic, previous victimisation, substance use and early sexual debut remained potent risks for relationship harm.

Background Despite the high rates of firearm ownership and firearm-related injuries and mortalities in Southern US states, understandings on the factors contributing to these are lacking. Methods Using wave 10 (2021) data from a longitudinal study, we examined firearm-related experiences among 636 ethnically diverse young adults (mean age=26 years; 62% female) in Texas, USA. Results Just over half of participants had ready access to firearms, with 22.3% having carried a firearm outside of their home, 4.9% having been threatened with a firearm by a romantic partner and 4.4% by a non-romantic partner. More firearm access and carriage were reported in males, white participants and those with >US$50 000 income. More females than males had been threatened with a firearm by a romantic partner, but more males than females had been threatened by a non-partner. Participants with recent financial difficulties were proportionally more likely to be threatened with a firearm than those without difficulties. Conclusion Findings emphasise the alarming rate of firearm access and carriage in Texas and highlight the disparities in firearms experiences by sociodemographic characteristics.