As Spooky Season approaches, we decided to write about a terrifying issue: Teen Domestic Violence. When we think of domestic abuse, we don’t seem to think of teens experiencing it. However, how many of us know a teen in a relationship—no matter how serious we believe it is? 81 percent of adults are not aware that dating violence is an issue with teens (https://violence.chop.edu/). Without being aware, how can we prevent dating violence in the teens in our lives?
Here are some quick facts:
Approximately 13% of 6th to 9th graders in 13 Midwest schools reported being stalked, with equal proportions of boys and girls affected.
Those who report experiencing dating violence in high school are also likely to experience domestic violence in their college relationships.
Almost half of the surveyed college students from three Northeast schools have experienced at least one form of relationship violence during the course of adolescence as a victim, perpetrator, or both.
Among college students who were sexually assaulted, many assaults occurred while on a date, including 35% of attempted rapes, 22% of threatened rapes, and 12% of completed rapes.
16% of undergraduates attending three Northeast schools experienced stalking during college; approximately 41% of instances were committed by friends/acquaintances, and intimate partners committed 14%.
Only 33 percent of teens in a violent relationship tell someone about the abuse.
Wow! That was some eye-opening information. Teens do go through domestic violence in relationships, and in many cases, it goes unnoticed. So what do we do about it? We have open, honest discussions with our teens and inform them of the signs of domestic violence—see the previous article, Domestic Violence: The Story Behind the Cause, for more information; make sure they know they can come to us or someone we trust to talk about anything, and we keep a watch. Allow for an honest conversation about sex and if their peers are pressuring them. Having challenging discussions and fostering positive relationship-building skills can eliminate certain risk factors for dating violence.
Teen domestic violence is not widely known and can be easily overlooked. In today’s digital age, teen domestic violence can be perpetuated through technology, which also adds to the covert nature of this specific abuse. Keep a watch for behavior changes and isolation in your teens. Keep a watch on your child’s messages and social media accounts. And if you are not a parent of a teen but a friend of a teen, you can also use these tools to help a teen in your life.
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