Attitudes of High School Students Regarding Intimate Relationships and Gender Norms in New Providence, The Bahamas

Donna Nicolls, Camille Russell-Smith, Sandra Dean-Patterson, Lindel D. Deveaux-Stuart, Ingrid Gibson-Mobley, Elizabeth J. Williams, Antoinette Pinder-Darling, William J. Fielding

Abstract


This paper reports the attitudes and actions on relationships with the opposite sex of 1,002 Grade 10 and Grade 12 students in New Providence. Girls were more likely than boys to use aggressive behaviours in teen relationships. Some of the behaviours noted in teen relationships informed expectations of marital relationships, such as restricted access to friends of the opposite sex. The students endorsed a number of sex-related stereotypes, such as a man being the head of the household. Both male and female students indicated that it was acceptable for men to control their wives. Participation in aggressive and controlling behaviours by teens points to the need to educate students about how to develop more respectful relationships.

Keywords


High school students; Teenagers - Bahamas; Bahamas; Interpersonal relationships

Full Text:

PDF

References


Bahamas Christian Council. (n.d.). The Bahamas Christian Council. http://www.thebahamaschristiancouncil.com/#

Bahamas Crisis Centre. (2011). Prevalence and trends in violence against women and girls [Unpublished raw data].

Bahamas Crisis Centre. (2012). Total number of new cases of children under 18 seen at TCC from 2007-2011 [Unpublished raw data].

Bahamas Department of Social Services. (2012). Child abuse statistics Commonwealth of The Bahamas 2011 [Unpublished raw data].

Bahamas Department of Statistics. (2004). Bahamas living conditions survey 2001. https://www.bahamas.gov.bs/wps/wcm/connect/d01ce76a-75b4-4229-baae-af3b87b6816c/Bahamas+Living+Conditions+Survey+2001+report-Copy.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

Bahamas Department of Statistics. (2012). Births 1970-2010. http://statistics.bahamas.gov.bs/download/084616400.pdf

Bahamas Department of Statistics. (2016). Bahamas 2013 household expenditure survey. http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00064349/00001

Bahamas Information Services. (2012). PM announces Urban Renewal Commission co-chairs. [Press release]. http://tinyurl.com/ptj2as9

Bahamas Ministry of Education. (2008). The Bahamas national education statistics digest 2006/2007.

Bahamas Ministry of Health. (2003). Caribbean health survey 2002.

Barter, C., McCarry, M., Berridge, D., & Evans, K. (2009). Partner exploitation and violence in teenage intimate relationships. http://www.womenssupportproject.co.uk/userfiles/file/partner_exploitation_and_violence_report_wdf70129.pdf

Benjamin, L., & LeGrand, C. (2012). Sound and fury: Newspaper coverage of the marital rape debate in New Providence. International Journal of Bahamian Studies, 18, 16-35. https://doi.org/10.15362/ijbs.v18i0.164

Bethel, N., Minnis, J., & Fielding, W. J. (2012). Knowing your ancestors: A survey of Bahamians’ knowledge of their progenitor’s names. International Journal of Bahamian Studies, 18, 1-5. https://doi.org/10.15362/ijbs.v18i0.164

Blank, L. R. (2005). The situation of youth in The Bahamas. Inter-American Development Bank. https://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00086231/00001

Carroll, M., Fielding, W. J., Brennen, S. & Hutcheson, S. (2011, November 3). Rearing violence in Bahamian homes [Paper presentation]. Violence Symposium, The College of The Bahamas, Nassau. http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00078778/00005

Coffino, B. (2009). The role of childhood parent figure loss in the etiology of adult depression: findings from a prospective longitudinal study. Attachment & Human Development, 11(5), 445-470. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616730903135993

Concerning child abuse figures [Editorial]. (2014, January 14). Nassau Guardian. http://www.thenassauguardian.com/opinion/editorial/44283-concerning-child-abuse-figures

Coy, J., & Miller, M. (2014). Intimate partners who struggle with formal commitments: Attachment styles, major challenges, and clinical implications. American Journal of Family Therapy, 42(3), 232-242. https://doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2013.808138

Crooks, C. V., Chiodo, D., Zwarych, S., Hughes, R., & Wolfe, D. A. (2013). Predicting implementation success of an evidence-based program to promote healthy relationships among students two to eight years after teacher training. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health, 32, 125-138. https://doi.org/10.7870/cjcmh-2013-010

Dunn, L. L. (2002). The Bahamas: The situation of children in the worst forms of child labour in a tourism economy: A rapid assessment. ILO Subregional Office for the Caribbean. https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---americas/---ro-lima/---sro-port_of_spain/documents/publication/wcms_308212.pdf

Fukuroda, M. L. (2005). Murder at home: An examination of legal and community responses to intimate femicide in California. California Women’s Law Center. http://www.cwlc.org/files/docs/MurderAtHome_FULL_REPORT.pdf

Hanna, C. (2010). Reducing murders in The Bahamas: A strategic plan based on empirical research. Royal Bahamas Police Force. http://www.bahamaslocal.com/files/Reducing_Murders_in_The_Bahamas.pdf

Henry, R. R., & Zeytinoglu, S. (2012). African Americans and teen dating violence. American Journal of Family Therapy, 40(1) 20-32. https://doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2011.578033

Le Franc E., Samms-Vaughan, M., Hambleton I., Fox, K. & Brown, D. (2008). Interpersonal violence in three Caribbean countries: Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago. Pan American Journal of Public Health, 24(6), 409–421. https://10.1590/s1020-49892008001200005.

Lilley, T.G. (2003). Healthy relationships: Teen dating violence curriculum 9th-12th Grade. http://www.ilfvcc.org/local/11/Jen_Strategies_-_Healthy_Relationships_and_TDV_Five_day_program.pdf

Liu, H., Yu, S., Cottrell, L., Lunn, S., Deveaux, L., Brathwaite, N. V., Marshall, S., Li, X., & Bonita, S. (2007). Personal values and involvement in problem behaviors among Bahamian early adolescents: a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health, 135-152. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-7-135

Marshall, A. L. (2006, March). Jezebels, soca and dancehall divas: The impact of images of femininity upon social policies and gender relationships in the Caribbean [Paper presentation]. Seventh Annual Conference, Barbados. http://www.cavehill.uwi.edu/salises/conferences/past-conferences/2006/jezebels,-soca-and-dancehall-divas---marshall.aspx

McEwen, F. (2010). Research review: Animal abuse, child abuse and domestic violence. Community Care Inform. http://www.ccinform.co.uk/Articles/2010/01/12/4231/Animal+abuse,+child+abuse+and+domestic+violence.html

McNeil, D. (2012, March). An investigative study into the use of discipline and classroom management as it relates to the Ministry of Education’s Rules and Procedures [Paper presentation]. The College of The Bahamas Student Research Symposium, Nassau.

Minnis, J., Symonette, E., Newry, Y., Gibson T., & Stevenson, M. (2011). Profile of inmates at H. M. Fox Hill Prison [Unpublished raw data].

Moss-Knight, T. C. (2010). Experiences of pregnancy among adolescents in the Bahamas: A qualitative approach [Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Howard University].

Nansel, T. R., Overpeck, M., Pilla, R. S., Ruan, W., Simons-Morton, B., & Scheidt, P. (2001). Bullying behaviors among US youth: Prevalence and association with psychosocial adjustment. Journal of the American Medical Association, 285(16), 2094-2100. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.285.16.2094

Nicolls, N. (2012, June 11). Christian cloak protecting misogynists. The Tribune. http://www.tribune242.com/news/2012/jun/11/christian-cloak-protecting-misogynists/

Otterbein, C. S., & Otterbein, K. F. (1973). Believers and beaters: A case study of supernatural beliefs and child rearing in the Bahama Islands. American Anthropologist, 75(5), 1670-1681. https://doi.org/10.1525/aa.1973.75.5.02a00290

Reynolds, M. (2009, July 8). Teachers curse, call us names and throw objects. The Tribune. http://www.tribune242.com/Print/07082009_findings_news_pg3/

Fielding, W. J., Risley-Curtiss, C., & Cronin, T. W. A Cross-cultural comparison of interpersonal violence in the lives of college students from two colleges from The Bahamas and the United States of America. International Journal of Bahamian Studies, 21(1), 38-56. https://doi.org/doi.org/10.15362/ijbs.v21i1.230

Royal Bahamas Police Force. (n.d). Sexual assault cases 2000-2013 [Unpublished raw data].

Smith, D. (2012, April 2). Girls paying for school with sex. The Tribune. http://www.tribune242.com/news/2012/apr/02/girls-paying-for-school-with-sex/

Smith, D. (2012, June 5). Arguments over women blamed for rising murder rate. The Tribune. http://www.tribune242.com/news/2012/jun/05/arguments-over-women-blamed-for-climbing-murder/?news

Strachan, I. (2013). I’s man. Manhood in the Bahamas. [DVD].

Teenage Research Unlimited. (2006). Teen relationship abuse survey. https://www.breakthecycle.org/sites/default/files/pdf/survey-lina-2006.pdf

Teicher, M. H., Samson, J. A., Sheu, Y., Polcari, A., & McGreenery, C. E. (2010) Hurtful words: Association of exposure to peer verbal abuse with elevated psychiatric symptom scores and corpus callosum abnormalities. American Journal of Psychiatry, 167, 1464-1471. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2010.10010030

Tharp, A., Burton, T., Freire, K., Hall, D. M., Harrier, S., Latzman, N. E., Luo, F., Holditch Niolon, P., Ramirez, M., & Vagi, K. J. (2011). Dating matters: Strategies to promote healthy teen relationships. Journal of Women's Health, 20(12), 1761-1765. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2011.3177

Turnquest, A. (2012, May 30). Apocalypto play parodies Bahamian society. The Tribune. http://www.tribune242.com/news/2012/may/30/apocalypto-play-parodies-bahamian-society/

U.S. Department of State. Overseas Security Advisory Council. (2012.). Bahamas 2012 crime and safety report. https://www.osac.gov/Pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=12460

UNESCO Institute for Statistics. (2013). eAtlas of out-of-school children. http://tellmaps.com/uis/oosc/

UNICEF. (2006). Violence against children in the Caribbean region, Regional assessment: UN Secretary General’s study on violence against children. http://www.unicef.org/lac/Caribe_web%281%29.pdf

UNICEF. (2011). State of the world’s children 2011: Adolescence an age of opportunity. https://data.unicef.org/resources/the-state-of-the-worlds-children-2011-adolescents-an-age-of-opportunity/

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime & World Bank. (2007). Crime, violence and development: trends, costs and policy options in the Caribbean. http://www.worldbank.org/INTHAITI/Resources/Crimeandviolenceinthecaribbeanfullreport.pdf

Weller, P., & Clifford, M. (2008). Caribbean men talking about manhood: Caribbean male action network. Lithographic Printers.

World Bank. (2012). World development report 2012: Gender equality and development. http://www.worldbank.org/INTWDR2012/Resources/7778105-1299699968583/7786210-1315936222006/Complete-Report.pdf

Yu, S., Deveaux, L., Lunn, S., Liu, H., Brathwaite, N., Li, X., Cottrell, L., Marshall, S., & Stanton, B. (2007). At greatest risk: Pre- and early adolescent Bahamian youth experiencing anal intercourse. International Journal of STD & AIDS, 18, 396–401. https://doi.org/10.1258/095646207781024784




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15362/ijbs.v20i1.225

Copyright (c) 2014 D. Nicolls et al.