Paper 1: The purpose of this study was two-fold: 1) to identify how adolescent, family, school, and neighborhood risk factors were related to perpetration of dating violence among adolescents; and 2) to assess how perceived neighborhood collective efficacy may reduce or exacerbate the relationship between each of the risk factors and adolescents' perpetration of dating violence. Three waves of data from the Welfare, Children, and Families: A Three-City Study were used (N = 765; Ages 16-20 at Wave 3). Lagged Ordinary Least Squares multiple regression techniques were utilized to examine the link between perpetration of dating violence and the risk factors from multiple contexts. For the total sample, drug and alcohol use, low parental monitoring, academic difficulties, and involvement with antisocial peers were significant early risk factors for dating violence perpetration in late adolescence. Furthermore, males, females, and black males and females were more likely to perpetrate dating violence in late adolescence if they had prior involvement with antisocial peers. Second, for males, black males, and Hispanic females, early drug and alcohol use increased their dating violence perpetration in late adolescence. Third, low parental monitoring for females, depressive symptoms for males, externalizing behaviors for black females, and mother's experiences with domestic violence for Hispanic females were risk factors for dating violence perpetration. Finally, perceived neighborhood collective efficacy buffered the relationship between early academic difficulties and later dating violence perpetration for Hispanic males. Implications for the prevention of perpetration of dating violence are explored.

Paper 2: The purpose of this study was three-fold: 1) to identify how neighborhood risk factors were negatively related to adolescents' development of healthy romantic relationships; 2) to assess how protective factors in adolescents' family, school, and neighborhood surroundings may promote healthy romantic relationships; and 3) to examine the protective mediating pathway that may exist between early neighborhood risk factors and adolescents' development of healthy romantic relationships in late adolescence. Three waves of data from the Welfare, Children, and Families: A Three-City Study were used (N = 535; Ages 16-20 at Wave 3). Structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques were utilized to examine the link among early neighborhood risk and protective factors and adolescents' healthy romantic relationships. Results are presented for the total sample and by adolescents' sex, race, and race by sex. No direct link between neighborhood risk factors and adolescents' development of healthy romantic relationships was found; however, two family microsystem protective factors were found. In particular, even when neighborhood risk factors were considered, being monitored by parents and living in a structured home environment significantly contributed to adolescents' healthy development of romantic relationships. Implications for romantic relationship education are explored.