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Publication #FAR1205

 

Teen Relationship Abuse Research Study1

Donna Davis2

Figure 1. 
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When we think of violence between intimate partners, we often think of domestic abuse between adult men and women, and most often between husbands and wives. However, in a recent study commissioned by Liz Claiborne Inc., researchers discovered deep and troubling evidence that today’s teens are not only experiencing dating violence, but are accepting it as normal.

One of the alarming results from the Liz Claiborne study is that “as teens get older and enter into serious relationships, a greater number are exhibiting and accepting controlling, abusive, and even violent behaviors – often by a two-to-one margin over younger teens who have less dating experience.”

Of the 13 to18-year-olds studied, nearly 66% reported being with someone who was very jealous, and 60% reported they’d had a boyfriend or girlfriend who had made them feel bad about themselves. Nearly a third, 30%, reported worrying about their personal physical safety in a relationship; 20% who reported having been in a serious relationship, have been hit, slapped, or pushed by their boyfriends or girlfriends.

As parents, how can we help our children? The Minnesota Parent-Child Longitudinal Project has found that communication with parents, and especially mothers, can provide a protective influence against the negative aspects of dating. Experts also encourage parents to model functional marriages or romantic relationships to teach their children how to have their own healthy relationships.

Listening, learning and living together, it’s the science of life. “Family Album” is a co-production of University of Florida IFAS Extension, the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, and of WUFT-FM.  If you’d like to learn more, please visit our website at http://www.familyalbumradio.org/.

To listen to the radio broadcast:

http://radiosource.net/radio_stories/434%20-%20teen%20abuse.mp3

http://radiosource.net/radio_stories/434%20-%20teen%20abuse.wav

References

Child Trends Data Bank, “’Best Bets’ to Promote Quality Romantic Peer Relationships: Encourage Communication with Parents.” Retrieved May 10, 2006 from http://www.childtrends.org/what_works/youth_development/social_comp/table_romantic.asp.

Child Trends Data Bank, “’Best Bets’ to Promote Quality Romantic Peer Relationships: Encourage Parents to Engage in Functional Marriages or Romantic Relationships.” Retrieved May 10, 2006 from http://www.childtrends.org/what_works/youth_development/social_comp/t6bestbets4.asp.

“Liz Claiborne Inc. Topline Findings – Teen Relationship Abuse Survey" (conducted March 2006). Retrieved April 26, 2006 from http://www.loveisnotabuse.com/pdf/Liz%20Claiborne%20Mar%2006%20Relationship%20Abuse%20Hotsheet.pdf.

Footnotes

1.

This document is FAR1205, one of a series of the Family Youth and Community Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Broadcast as program 434. Published on EDIS August 2012. In the interest of time and/or clarity, the broadcast version of this script may have been modified. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2.

Donna Davis, senior producer, Family Album Radio, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, Dean.