Prevalence and Determinants of Dating Violence: An Umbrella Review of
Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses
Abstract
Objective: Dating violence (DV) is a psychosocial problem which
impacts the health and wellbeing of affected individuals. Many studies
have reported a high prevalence and various determinants of DV; however,
there is a gap of consolidated evidence on this problem. This umbrella
review aimed to synthesize the current evidence on the prevalence and
determinants of DV from systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
Methods: We systematically searched ten major databases and
additional sources to retrieve systematic reviews or meta-analyses
reporting prevalence or determinants of DV, published as peer-reviewed
journal articles in English language till October 13, 2019. We extracted
and synthesized the findings, reported the prevalence of DV, and
categorized the determinants of DV using the socioecological model.
Results: We found 16 eligible systematic reviews and
meta-analyses. Most of these studies were conducted in developed
countries with a majority of adolescent and young adult participants.
Studies reported varying prevalence of physical, sexual,
psychological/emotional, and technology-assisted DV ranging from 0.1%
to 57.5%, 0.1% to 64.6%, 4.2% to 97%, and 5.8% to 92%,
respectively. The determinants of DV at different socioecological
levels, including individual behavior, substance abuse, psychiatric
conditions, experiencing violence and maltreatment; interpersonal
factors like family and peer relationships; community and neighborhood
characteristics; patriarchy, culture, and socioeconomic equalities were
reported.
Conclusions: These findings suggest a high burden of DV among
young populations, who are vulnerable to various socioecological
determinants of DV. Future research should examine how these factors
influence DV and multi-level interventions should be adopted to address
the same.