Teens are experiencing dating violence and it is more common than many of us realize. A new study in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine showed that almost half of teens in inner-cities were involved in some sort of physical and/or sexual violence, from hitting and kicking to forced sex. “We all know this exists, now what do you do about it?” said study author Dr. Bronwen Carroll, from Boston Medical Center, where the study was conducted.
The study showed that most teens didn’t think they needed help. The study was conducted in an emergency room that is in an inner-city. It said that most of their patients were poor, African American kids and teens with government-funded insurance. They found violence linked to substance abuse, mental health problems or unplanned pregnancy.
In the 327 people surveyed, about 55 percent of the adolescents said they had been the victim of physical or sexual violence, and 59 percent said they had perpetrated some kind of violence against a partner. Most of the girls admitted they had been physically violent toward their partner. “Both boys and girls perpetrate violence and sometimes girls perpetrate more violence,” Carroll said. But, she added, “It is an enormous mistake to fall into the trap of equating those types of violence.”
The research team offered help to the victims of violence, but a month after their ER visit, only four out of 127 who were contacted again said they’d reached out to any of those resources. Surprisingly, about 2/3 of the victims said they didn’t need help. This is not just an inner-city problem. Violence between dating partners happens in cities of all sizes. Adults and doctors need to be aware and help these teens recognize that they are not in a healthy relationship. “We need to be aware about this, we need to ask. My guess is that just a meaningful discussion for an adolescent with an adult that he or she trusts about, ‘What does a healthy relationship look like?’ can go a long way,” Carroll said.
Do you have teens who are dating? Have you experienced a violent situation with a partner? How did you get help?
