4 Troubled Teens Blog

Dating violence among teenagers might be increasing, even leading to homicides in some cases, according to a report in the Jan. 4, 2009, edition of the New York Times.

• Statistics from public health agencies indicate that one in ten relationships involves violence or abuse.
• However, a 2008 survey of 1,000 middle school students suggested the figure could be closer to 25 percent.
• A study in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine found that one third of 920 college students surveyed said they had been victims of physical and emotional abuse.
• In a study by the Center for Disease Control, eight percent of teens said they had been forced into sexual intercourse.
• Within the past two years, several high school girls have been murdered by their boyfriends.

Not all dating abuse is physical: It can include verbal harassment, name-calling and ridicule, sometimes done over the Internet or via cell phone text messages.

Besides being at increased risk for physical violence, abuse victims suffer from emotional problems as well. They are also twice as likely to abuse alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, and are at increased risk of suicide.

Public middle schools in many parts of the country are working to initiate programs to educate young people about safe relationships, and to make them aware of protections that are available to them.

Labels: violence, dating

Posted By: Aspen Education Group