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National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center

A Federal resource for professionals, parents and youth working to prevent violence committed by and against young people.

Youth Dating Violence - Information and Resources          
(Printable Version)

It is difficult to say how common dating violence is among youth, because different studies and surveys ask about it in different ways and get very different results. Some studies only ask about physical abuse, while others include questions about psychological and emotional abuse and sexual violence. Some ask about dating violence over the lifetime, while others only ask about the current relationship or the past year. Past estimates of physical and sexual dating violence among high school students typically range from 10% to 25%, and estimates for college students range from 20 to 30%.[1] Not surprisingly, even higher estimates are found when verbal threats and emotional abuse are considered. [2]

One recent national survey found that 9.8% female high-school students and about 9.1% of male students said they had been hit, slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by their boyfriend or girlfriend in the past year.[3]

In another recent survey in Massachusetts, almost 1 in 5 female high-school students said they had experienced physical and/or sexual violence in a dating relationship, with 9% reporting only physical abuse, 4% only sexual abuse, and 5% both physical and sexual abuse.[4]

Dating Violence Impacts Males and Females Differently
Female youth in heterosexual relationships are much more likely than male youth to suffer from sexual abuse.[5],[6]

Both male and female adolescents report being victims of physical violence in relationships.[7], [8] Many relationships involve mutual abuse, with both partners using violence against the other. However, it is clear that male and female adolescents use physical force for different reasons and with different results.[9] Researchers have found that female youth suffer more from relationship violence, emotionally and physically.[10] They are much more likely than males to have serious injuries and to report being terrified. In contrast, male victims seldom seem to fear violence by their dates or girlfriends, often saying that the attacks did not hurt and that they found the violence amusing.[11]

Adolescent girls who reported abuse from dating partners have been found to be at significantly elevated risk for a broad range of serious health concerns. These risks included being more likely to: (1) use alcohol, tobacco, and cocaine, (2) engage in unhealthy weight control, (3) engage in sexual health risk behavior, including first intercourse before the age of 15 years and multiple partnering, (4) have been pregnant, and (5) seriously consider or attempt suicide. Many of the risks associated with experiences of either physical or sexual dating violence were heightened for adolescent girls who reported both forms of abuse.[12]

It is not clear, at this point, whether dating violence increases the risk for these problem behaviors, whether these problem behaviors place girls at greater vulnerability to violence from dating partners, or whether other factors place them at greater risk for dating violence and these other concerns.

What is clear is that, regardless of directionality or mechanism, adolescent girls that have experienced dating violence engage in a number of problem behaviors that put them at risk for negative outcomes ranging from contracting HIV to pregnancy and suicide

Dating Violence Prevention Programs
Dating violence prevention programs typically train teachers or peer educators to implement a brief dating violence or sex assault curriculum to students in a classroom setting. National and local evaluations of these programs have shown that they are effective in increasing knowledge and changing attitudes related to dating violence. [13], [14] Fewer programs have demonstrated an impact on actual levels of dating violence.

One study that has demonstrated effectiveness in reducing dating violence is the Safe Dates program.[15] Safe Dates, for grades 8 and 9, is a demonstrated model with school and community components. The school components (a ten-session curriculum, a play, and a poster contest) focus on changing norms for dating violence, gender stereotyping, conflict management skills, belief in need for help, awareness of services, and help-seeking. The community component includes training for service providers, a crisis line, and a support group for teen victims. An evaluation of Safe Dates indicated that the treatment group committed less psychological abuse, sexual violence, and violence perpetration against their current dating partners than did the control group.

Reports on the Prevalence and Nature of Youth Dating Violence

  1. Wekerle, C. & Wolfe, D. A. (1999). Dating violence in mid-adolescence: Theory, significance, and emerging prevention initiatives. Clinical Psychology Review, 19(4), 435-456.
  2. Jezl, D. R., Molidor, C.E., & Wright, T.L. (1996). Physical, sexual, and psychological abuse in high school dating relationships: Prevalence rates and self-esteem issues. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 13(1), 69-87.
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2002). Youth risk behavior surveillance - United States, 2001. In: CDC Surveillance Summaries, June 28, 2002. MMWR, 51(SS-4), pp. 27.
  4. Silverman, J.G., Raj, A., Mucci, L.A., & Hathaway, J.E. 2001. Dating violence against adolescent girls and associated substance use, unhealthy weight control, sexual risk behavior, pregnancy, and suicidality. Journal of the American Medical Association, 286, 572-579.
  5. Jezl, D. R., Molidor, C.E., & Wright, T.L. (1996). Physical, sexual, and psychological abuse in high school dating relationships: Prevalence rates and self-esteem issues. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 13(1), 69-87.
  6. Kaiser Family Foundation & YM Magazine (1998). National Survey of Teens: Teens Talk about Dating, Intimacy, and Their Sexual Experiences. Part 3. Menlo Park, CA: The Foundation.
  7. O'Keefe M. & Treister, L. (1998). Victims of dating violence among high school students. Violence Against Women, 4, 193-228.
  8. Molidor C. & Tolman, R.M. (1998). Gender and contextual factors in adolescent dating violence. Violence Against Women, 4, 180-194.
  9. O'Keefe, M. (1997). Predictors of dating violence among high school students. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 12(4), 546-569.
  10. Foshee, V.A. (1998). Gender differences in adolescent dating abuse prevalence, types and injuries. Health Education Research, 11, 275-286.
  11. Molidor C. & Tolman, R.M. (1998). Gender and contextual factors in adolescent dating violence. Violence Against Women, 4, 180-194.
  12. Silverman, J.G., Raj, A., Mucci, L.A., & Hathaway, J.E. 2001. Dating violence against adolescent girls and associated substance use, unhealthy weight control, sexual risk behavior, pregnancy, and suicidality. Journal of the American Medical Association, 286, 572-579.
  13. Avery-Leaf, S., Cascardi, M., O'Leary, K. D., & Cano, A. (1997). Efficacy of a dating violence prevention program on attitudes justifying aggression. Journal of Adolescent Health, 21(1), 1-17.
  14. Macgowan, M. J. (1997). An evaluation of a dating violence prevention program for middle school students. Violence and Victims, 12(3), 223-235
  15. Foshee, V. A., Bauman, K. E., Arriaga, X. B., Helms, R. W., Kock, G. G., & Linder, G. F. (1998). An evaluation of Safe Dates, an adolescent dating violence prevention program. American Journal of Public Health, 88(1), 45-50.