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Abstract

Objective: Firearms are the most common method of adolescent intimate partner homicide, but little research has examined nonfatal firearm behaviors among adolescent dating partners. The purpose of this study was to investigate patterns of teen dating violence (TDV) including nonfatal firearm-related behaviors and to examine the demographic characteristics and mental health difficulties associated with subgroup membership in a community sample of adolescents. 

Method: Participants were 722 adolescents (Mage = 16.1, SD = 1.1; 53.9% female; 48.2% Black) with a dating history attending four high schools across two districts in a single county in the Southeastern United States. 

Results: Over 15% of participants reported experiencing, and 8.6% reported perpetrating firearm-related TDV. The latent class analysis identified four TDV subgroups: firearm-related TDV, nonfirearm TDV, psychological TDV only, and uninvolved. Male adolescents, adolescents who identified as a sexual or gender minority, and adolescents attending a high-poverty school were at a higher odds of being in the firearm-related TDV subgroup. Adolescents in the firearm-related TDV subgroup reported greater substance use and suicidal ideation compared to all other subgroups. 

Conclusions: Firearm-related TDV was alarmingly high in our community sample of adolescents and was associated with poor mental health difficulties. In addition, adolescents attending a high-poverty school were more likely to report firearm-related TDV involvement. These findings underscore the need to identify community-level factors that contribute to disparities in nonfatal firearm-related TDV. They also highlight an urgent need for national attention and resources to reduce firearm-related TDV and prevent premature morbidity and mortality among youth from marginalized groups.