Background/Objectives: Adolescent dating violence (ADV) is a major public health concern worldwide. While sexist and gender-related beliefs have been widely studied as risk factors, less attention has been paid to adolescents’ emotional and relational functioning. This study examines the role of Differentiation of Self (DoS) and gender-related beliefs in adolescent dating violence.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among adolescents aged 12-18 years from Chile, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Spain. Analyses focused on 3,241 participants with current or past romantic relationships. Psychological, physical, and sexual ADV (perpetration and victimization) were assessed using a validated instrument. DoS was measured using a standardized validated scale, while gender stereotypes were assessed using a self-reported scale. Sex-stratified multivariable logistic regression models were fitted, adjusting for age and country.

Results: Psychological violence was the most prevalent form of ADV (> 30% perpetration; > 40% victimization). Higher levels of DoS were consistently associated with lower odds of involvement in ADV across sexes and violence types (OR range ≈ 0.60-0.80). In contrast, stronger endorsement of gender stereotypes was associated with increased odds of violence (OR range ≈ 1.20-1.60), with heterogeneous patterns by sex and type of violence. DoS and gender-related beliefs showed largely independent effects.

Conclusions/Recommendations: Emotional and relational competencies, as reflected by DoS, constitute a relevant protective factor against adolescent dating violence, independently of gender-related beliefs. Prevention strategies may benefit from integrating sociocultural approaches with interventions aimed at strengthening adolescents’ emotional regulation and relational autonomy.

Funding: This study is part of Project `PI18/01126’ and Project `PI22/00624’, both funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III and co-funded by European Union (ERDF, `A way to make Europe’).