Moderating Role of Gender on Attachment Insecurity and Dating Violence Among Youth

Physical or sexual abuse in childhood is a risk factor for violence and harassment in future intimate partner, which is a critical health concern globally. Several studies have been proposed to address the influence of attachment on violence in general, but few studies are available highlighting the role of attachment on dating violence. We explore how attachment is linked to dating violence among youth. We predict that gender would have a moderating role between attachment and dating violence among youth. The present research was Online-Questionnaire-based and employed a predictive correlational research design. Our sample consisted of 1,246 participants aged 18 to 22 years, selected using a convenience sampling method. Moderation analysis was used to analyze the data. Moderation analysis shows partial acceptance of the hypotheses. We found a moderating influence of gender among participants who exhibited an ambivalent attachment style, which is significant for males. Gender did not moderate the relationship for secure and avoidant attachment styles toward dating violence among youth. These findings offer novel insights into prevention programs aimed at reducing dating and domestic violence, emphasizing the pivotal role of attachment security and insecurity in mitigating the risk of violence in dating relationships.