The researchers did not offer any interventions. The independent variable of dating violence cannot be manipulated; therefore it utilized a nonexperimental design. More specifically, it was a retrospective study that used a cross-sectional design as the data on dating violence and the outcome variables were collected concurrently, although the dating violence had already transpired. A more rigorous design would not be feasible as there was no presumed causation to justify an observational cohort design. Neither would a descriptive correlational research design be suitable as the researchers specifically attempted to infer a connection between the independent and dependent variables as stated in the
The researchers did not offer any interventions. The independent variable of dating violence cannot be manipulated; therefore it utilized a nonexperimental design. More specifically, it was a retrospective study that used a cross-sectional design as the data on dating violence and the outcome variables were collected concurrently, although the dating violence had already transpired. A more rigorous design would not be feasible as there was no presumed causation to justify an observational cohort design. Neither would a descriptive correlational research design be suitable as the researchers specifically attempted to infer a connection between the independent and dependent variables as stated in the