Teen Dating Violence Awareness

Often when we think of abuse in romantic relationships, we picture adults. But in the past few years, recent studies have shined a spotlight on the prevalence of this issue for America’s teenagers. A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control showed that approximately 9% of high school students report being hit, slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend in the 12 months before surveyed.[1] Part of the reason we find that this issue is not well-known is that there is a lack of communication on the subject with parents and their teens – which we can all well understand with teen/parent dynamics! Here at the CARE Center, we have a passion for increasing family dialogues about these issues, and have found a few fun activities that we encourage parents and teens to do together to get the conversation started. Please see below!

The Relationship Spectrum: Test your knowledge with one another about what counts as healthy v. abusive behavior in relationships.

http://www.loveisrespect.org/dating-basics/relationship-spectrum/

[1] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth risk behavior surveillance—United States, 2011. MMWR, Surveillance Summaries 2012; 61(no. SS-4).

Written By: Meredith Fort