Teen Dating Abuse & Date Rape

2008 February 01 by: Scott

Over 50% of high school students report knowing of another student who was in an abusive relationship. Date rape, alcohol related criminal sexual conduct and unwanted sexual advances are on the list of student concerns. What’s more difficult to detect and survey students about is the emotional abuse that occurs in teen dating. ScottCounseling recognizes author, Brandee Tecson, who shares some important facts about abusive teen dating and relationship.

Abuse and Teen Dating
More than half of America’s teens know friends who have experienced some sort of dating abuse, while nearly three in four say that physical dating violence is a serious concern for their age group, according to a study released Thursday.

The study, conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited in partnership with Liz Claiborne Inc., exposes alarming patterns of physical, verbal and sexual abuse among teens in dating relationships. Teens surveyed ranged in age from 13 to 18 and extended across all ethnic groups, cities and suburbs.

“It is clear that dating violence is a critical problem facing youth in America and there seems to be a lack of focus on addressing this issue in our educational system nationwide,” said Christine Blaber of the Center for School and Community Health at the Education Development Center.

One in three teens reported knowing a friend who has been hit, punched, kicked, slapped, choked or physically hurt by their partner, while nearly one in five girls admit they have been in a relationship where their boyfriend had threatened physical abuse if presented with a break-up. Twenty-six percent of girls said they have been in a relationship where they endured repeated verbal abuse by their partner, and 13 percent reported enduring repeated physical abuse.