Dating Violence Prevention

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Dating Violence Prevention

Healthy relationships consist of trust, honesty, respect, equality, and compromise.1 Unfortunately, teen dating violence—the type of intimate partner violence that occurs between two young people who are, or who were once in, an intimate relationship—is a serious problem in the United States. A national survey found that ten percent of teens, female and male, had been the victims of physical dating violence within the past year2 and approximately 29 percent of adolescents reported being verbally or psychologically abused within the previous year.3

Teen dating violence can be any one, or a combination, of the following:

• Physical. This includes pinching, hitting, shoving, or kicking.
• Emotional. This involves threatening a partner or harming his or her sense of self-worth. Examples include name calling, controlling/jealous behaviors, consistent monitoring, shaming, bullying (online, texting, and in person), intentionally embarrassing him/her, keeping him/her away from friends and family.

It can negatively influence the development of healthy sexuality, intimacy, and identity as youth grow into adulthood4 and can increase the risk of physical injury, poor academic performance, binge drinking, suicide attempts, unhealthy sexual behaviors, substance abuse, negative body image and self-esteem, and violence in future relationships.5

Teen dating violence can be prevented, especially when there is a focus on reducing risk factors as well as fostering protective factors, and when teens are empowered through family, friends, and others (including role models such as teachers, coaches, mentors, and youth group leaders) to lead healthy lives and establish healthy relationships. It is important to create spaces, such as school communities, where the behavioral norms are not tolerant of abuse in dating relationships. The message must be clear that treating people in abusive ways will not be accepted, and policies must enforce this message to keep students safe.

References

1 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 20112 CDC, 20103 Halpern, Oslak, Young, Waller, Markin, & Kupper, 20014 Foshee & Reyes, 20095 CDC, 2012

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• Dating Violence Prevention
• Characteristics of Healthy & Unhealthy Relationships
• Prevalence
• Electronic Aggression
• Sex Considerations (Boys & Girls)
• Risk Factors
• Prevention Programs
• Consequences
• Legal Responses
• Victim & Survivor Resources
• Additional Federal Resources
• References