For teenagers, initiation into the world of dating brings a host of new experiences--but not all are as pleasant as first kisses and stomach butterflies. As with adult relationships, teen dating can feature unhealthy behavior and abusive dynamics, and approximately 33 percent of high school students experience dating violence, according to the Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Understanding how to identify and prevent violence in adolescent relationships can help curb its occurrence.
Identification
Violence occurring in adolescent relationships can be physical, verbal, sexual, emotional or social. The adolescent resource Teen Relationships defines violence as including physical actions, such as hitting, pushing, grabbing, shaking or restraining; verbal or emotional actions, such as insults, humiliation, manipulation, extreme possessiveness, threats and mind games; sexual actions, such as forced sexual contact, rape and refusal to respect a partner's sexual boundaries; and social actions, such as spreading rumors, using blackmail and isolating a partner from her friends and family. Although abuse may manifest as physical injury, behavior does not have to be physically harmful to classify as violent in an adolescent relationship.
Causes
In adolescent relationships, violence often stems from different causes than in adult relationships. The National Institute of Justice notes that teenagers are typically inexperienced at compromising, negotiating, communicating and relating within a relationship, leading some adolescents to seek destructive outlets, such as violence when other forms of communication fail. In addition, teens' social lives and concern with peer acceptance can breed relationship violence: Jealousy over opposite-sex friendships, opportunities for new romance and excessive time spent with friends can provoke aggressive responses from frustrated teenagers. Unlike adult relationships, adolescent violence rarely stems from power imbalances between partners, and the National Institute of Justice reports that most teenagers feel they have equal say in their relationships even when violence is a component.
Effects
Relationship violence can have a number of repercussions for youth, physically and emotionally. Psychological effects of violence include a diminishing interest in school, failing grades, indecision, emotional outbursts, isolation, lack of motivation, moodiness and changes in personality, according to the Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence. As a result of relationship violence, adolescents may also take interest in drugs or alcohol, and abused partners may suffer from physical injuries, such as bruises, cuts, gashes, broken bones and other wounds.
Misconceptions
As the Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence explains, some adolescent males and females harbor misconceptions about gender roles in relationships, and some of these beliefs may encourage violent interactions. Young men may equate masculinity with physical aggressiveness, believing it is their job to demand intimacy and "control" their partner--an attitude that makes violent behavior seem acceptable. Teenage females may feel that their partner's possessiveness and jealousy is a sign of love, and that abusive behavior is romantic rather than unhealthy.
Prevention
To help prevent violence from occurring in adolescent relationships, Teen Relationships recommends practicing respectful behavior when interacting with others, speaking out against oppression, educating yourself about dating abuse, holding violent individuals accountable for their behavior and refusing to conform to gender stereotypes that encourage abuse and aggression. To help others learn about identifying and preventing relationship violence, consider becoming involved violence awareness groups or domestic violence agencies in your community. If you are currently in a violent relationship--whether as the abuser or the abused--seek help immediately from a school counselor, parent or other trusted adult.
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