Teen Dating Violence and the Acceptability of a Safety Decision Aid: Perspectives of Puerto Rican Youth

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to describe Puerto Rican adolescents’ perspectives about an application “app” to prevent further injury from teen dating violence (TDV). Methods: We conducted three semistructured focus group interviews. Results: Participants (N = 16) were 14–20 years old. Most (63%) were not currently in a relationship; three participants reported a history of TDV, and seven reported that they “did not know” whether they had ever experienced TDV. We identified four themes: (a) clarifying dating violence, (b) psychological abuse–the reality of TDV, (c) silence around dating violence, and (d) youth need a different tool. Adolescents thought that the app was beneficial for educating the user about dating violence behaviors. They also identified that the app should be modified to better suit adolescents, in part by, focusing more on psychological abuse and using other visuals to relay information rather than text. Adolescents also questioned the utility of the app as a bystander because TDV is often concealed and not discussed. Conclusion: Puerto Rican adolescents in our study expressed the need for information that could be presented in a more concise and dynamic format and highlighted the cultural barriers of silence around issues of dating violence.