Dating violence: Signs your teen may be a victim

Dating Violence Awareness
stock.xchng:salsus

Unfortunately, dating violence is prevalent among teenagers. One in three teenagers has experienced some sort of violence within the context of their romantic relationships. One in five teenage girls in high school has been the victim of physical or sexual violence at the hands of her partner. Of the victims or their friends who were aware of the violence, only 1/3 report the abuse.

Teenagers will hide the fact that they are in an abusive relationship. There are a number of reasons for this. Teenagers are in the process of becoming individuated from their parents. So admitting to mom or dad that s/he is in an abusive relationship is like asking parents for help. This is counter to the goal of being a teenager. Teenagers also feel pressure to have romantic relationships. They tend to have romanticized notions of being in love. These things coupled with inexperience create a situation where teens are at risk of being hurt or emotionally controlled in their romantic relationships.

Please Note: Due to the majority of victims being young women and the perpetrators being young men, the following pages will use the applicable pronouns. This is not to say that men are not victims and women are not abusers. This is simply the reported statistical difference. Women are more often the victim and men are more often the perpetrator.

While your teenager (or one of her friends) will actively try to hide that she is being abused, there are warning signs that parents can and should look out for.

Warning signs that your teenager is being abused or might be abused fall into the following categories:

• How your teenager (and young women in general) feels about herself
• How her boyfriend (and young men in general) feels about himself
• Indicators that your teenager is being abused
• Indicators that her boyfriend is, or could potentially become, an abuser

If you found this article helpful, please see information on jealousy, the link between animal cruelty and violence toward people and tips for breaking off an unhealthy relationship.