Teen Dating Violence
Teen Dating Violence
Dating violence and sexual assault disproportionately affect teens and young adults. Hundreds of thousands of young people are experiencing dating abuse, sexual assault, and stalking every year. Among adult victims of rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner, 22% of women and 15% of men first experienced some form of partner violence between 11 and 17 years of age (National Center for Injury Prevention and Control Division of Violence Prevention). Nearly 1.5 million high school students nationwide experience physical abuse from a dating partner in a single year. According to the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Systems (YRBSS) conducted by the Centers for Disease Control, 8% of high school students surveyed had experienced physical violence by someone they were dating and nearly 10% of students had experienced sexual violence, including non-consensual sex.
The effect of teen dating violence on physical health, mental health, and educational outcomes is significant. Youth victims of dating violence are more likely to experience depression and anxiety symptoms, engage in unhealthy behaviors like using tobacco, drugs and alcohol, exhibit antisocial behaviors, and think about suicide.
Dating abuse is a pattern of destructive behaviors used to exert power and control over a dating partner. While we define dating violence as a pattern, that doesn’t mean the first instance of abuse is not dating violence. It just recognizes that dating violence usually involves a series of abusive behaviors over a course of time.
Warning Signs of Dating Abuse
Because relationships exist on a spectrum, it can be hard to tell when a behavior crosses the line from healthy to unhealthy or even abusive. Use these warning signs of abuse to see if your relationship is going in the wrong direction:
Checking your cell phone or email without permission
Constantly putting you down
Extreme jealousy or insecurity
Explosive temper
Isolating you from family or friends
Making false accusations
Mood swings
Physically hurting you in any way
Possessiveness
Telling you what to do
Pressuring or forcing you to have sex
Source: loveisrespect.org
If you think that you, or someone you know, may be in an unhealthy or abusive relationship, you can get help by visiting loveisrespect.org and calling, chatting, or texting with a trained peer advocate. Call 1-866-331-9474, text LOVEIS to 1-866-331-9474, or live chat at loveisrespect.org
If you are, or have been, abusive and want to change your behavior, loveisrepect.org can also help you. Call 1-866-331-9474, text LOVEIS to 1-866-331-9474, or live chat at loveisrespect.org
You can also get more information about Teen Dating Violence by visiting Interface Children and Family Services