February 2024 Blog Post
Greetings from The Dolphin House! For our January blog post, we are bringing awareness to Teen Dating Violence (TDV). In 2010, the U.S. Congress designated February as Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. Like Domestic Violence (DV) or Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), adolescent perpetrators of TDV use abusive behaviors to control their partner. One inherent difference is often the use of social media as a form of manipulation. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), Teen Dating Violence affects up to 19% of teens manifesting in a physical or sexual abuse manner. The number increases to 65% of teens when considering psychological abuse as well (Abrams). Teen Dating Violence is known to be a precursor to DV/IPV in the victim and perpetrator’s adult relationships as well as lead to suicidal thoughts and actions. Both genders are found to enact violence on their partner, males oftentimes perpetrating sexual violence in comparison to females who engage in psychologically violent behaviors.
The importance here is that this issue can be addressed with proper intervention. As parents, mentors, professionals, and community members we should all be equipped with the knowledge to identify the common signs of TDV and how to assist a teen who has found themselves in a violent relationship.
Risk Factors
- Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), such as: abuse, neglect, exposure to violence and substances, mental illness within the home, and/or loss of a parent due to death, abandonment, or divorce (Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)).
- Bullying
- Teens that are a part of the LGBTQ community are at greater risk (Love like That: Love is Respect Action Guide).
Identifying Teen Dating Violence- Relationship Spectrum
The relationship spectrum highlights the warning signs for unhealthy and abusive relationships. Notice that unhealthy and abusive relationships thrive on pressure, control, and power imbalance.
Prevention & Help
Anyone with access to children has a responsibility to model healthy relationships with solid boundaries, communication, and respect in all aspects of our lives. Pro-social activities, social-emotional skill building, and mental health treatment can also prevent Teen Dating Violence (Fast Facts: Preventing Teen Dating Violence). For more information on Teen Dating Violence please check out the links below:
http://www.loveisrespect.org/get-involved/tdvam/
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2023/10/disrupting-teen-dating-violence
https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/teendatingviolence/fastfact.html
Works Cited:
Abrams, Zara. “Up to 19% of teens experience dating violence. Psychologists want to break the cycle.” APA, www.apa.org/monitor/2023/10/disrupting-teen-dating-violence. Accessed 30 January 2024.
“Fast Facts: Preventing Teen Dating Violence.” CDC, 27 January 2023. www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/teendatingviolence/fastfact.html. Accessed 30 January 2024.
“Love like That: Love is Respect Action Guide.” 2024. PDF file.
“Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).” Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center, 29 December 2023. www.eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/publication/trauma-adverse-childhood-experiences-aces. Accessed 30 January 2024.