How to use this Page

Teen dating violence is a major public health concern, with about 1 in 10 teens experiencing physical violence or sexual coercion, and even higher rates of psychological abuse. Some progress toward awareness, prevention, and intervention with these youth has been made. Organizations like loveisrespect, Futures without Violence, and Break the Cycle have increased awareness and provided resources for teens. Congress too has joined the call to end dating abuse by dedicating the month of February to teen dating violence awareness and prevention. Unfortunately, we have far to go in raising awareness of this problem; 81% of parents believe that teen dating violence isn’t an issue. Additionally, teens aren’t seeking out the help being offered. In fact, less than 10% of teen victims report seeking help. These statistics are concerning.Kids are being abused, resources are available, but the link between the two is missing. Let’s take a step back and think like the kids. What follows are some myths about teen dating violence that may prevent youth from seeking help, or receiving help when they do reach out.

Myth: If a person stays in an abusive relationship, it must not really be that bad.

Fact: When things get bad, people leave, escape, or protect themselves. Right? Not always true. Almost 80% of girls who have been physically abused will continue to date their abusers. There are a variety of reasons why people stay. These include fear, emotional dependence, low self-esteem, feeling responsible, confusing jealousy and possessiveness with love, threats of more violence, or hope that the abuser will change. For teenagers, these reasons are compounded by peer pressure, a fear of getting in trouble with adults, and the potential loss of friends. We need to find ways to lessen the stigma and perceived consequences of asking for help among teens.

Myth: Teen dating violence is just arguing. It doesn’t have the same consequences/isn’t as dangerous as domestic violence in adult relationships.

Fact: First, teen dating violence isn’t just limited to arguing. It includes physical, sexual, and emotional/psychological abuse, and stalking — all of which are very real and can be very damaging. Emotional abuse and stalking can take place in person, electronically, via text, or online. Secondly, teen dating violence is just as dangerous and the impact is just as far reaching. Beyond the immediate impact of abuse, victimized teens are also at risk for serious health issues. Research shows that abused teens are more likely to use alcohol, tobacco, and cocaine, engage in unhealthy weight control behaviors and risky sexual behaviors, are more likely to become pregnant, and are more likely to seriously consider or attempt suicide. These are serious, long-term consequences that can negatively affect lifetime well-being.

Sadly, there is also an increase in indirect self-destructive behaviors. For example, after such an assault, it is not uncommon to see teenagers neglecting schoolwork, neglecting friends, neglecting family, and neglecting sports activities. It is also important to note, that a crucial line of defense is that of primary care medicine – whether it be pediatrics or OB/GYN. While these victims may not necessarily seek out mental health care, it is not uncommon for victims of such violence to see their pediatrician or their OB/GYN for what presents as a physical or medical dilemma, but what in truth is actually the psychological reaction to trauma. Oftentimes, these symptoms are indicative of increased levels of depression, alcohol and substance abuse, and post-traumatic stress.

Myth: Teen dating violence only occurs between boys and girls.

Fact: Violence can occur in any relationship. In fact, LGBTQ youth may be more likely to experience dating violence compared to heterosexual youth. These youth are at higher risk for being victimized and are experiencing the same types of violence as those in opposite-sex relationships, but are the least likely to tell anyone or seek help. Why is this? Along with the same reasons why people don’t leave heterosexual relationships, LGBTQ youth also have to worry about the threat and fear of being outed by their partner. Knowing this, interventions tailored specifically to the LGBTQ community should be developed. Once again, we need to help these youth feel safe enough to ask for help.

Myth: Only girls can be victims of dating violence.

Fact: The reality is that anyone can be a victim of dating violence. Research has shown that 2 out of 5 females and 1 out of 3 males report being victimized in a dating relationship. Additionally, males aren’t the only abusers. One study found that more girls (41%) than boys (29%) reported perpetrating at some point in their lives. The media typically shows male perpetrators, so what message do our teens receive about abusers? Will victimized boys feel like they can come forward if they think they’re the only ones?

So, what can we do? It’s obvious that we need to be educating kids at the most basic level. We can’t expect them to seek out help or use the resources provided if they’re too scared, too confused, or are unaware of what’s really happening to them. We need to challenge their beliefs about teen dating violence and provide resources designed specifically for teens involved in violent relationships. There are several promising school-based programs available, influencing attitudes, reducing bullying, and reducing teen dating violence. By educating our youth, we can empower them to be their own advocates, encouraging each other to seek help and stop the cycle of abuse.

Headline image credit: Skater. CC0 via Pixabay.

The post Teen dating violence: myths vs. facts appeared first on OUPblog.

        

Related Stories

• A timeline of the Reformation
• Our habitat: one more etymology brought “home”
• Reading on-screen versus on paper

 

The role of bullying in suicide among our young people has been intensely scrutinized in both media and research. As the deleterious impacts on mental and physical health for both perpetrators and targets—suicide being the most severe—become more evident, calls for framing of the problem from a public health framework have increased. A scientifically grounded educational and public health approach to both bullying and suicide prevention is required.

So let’s look at the science regarding the connection between bullying and suicide. As with most highly emotional phenomena, there has been a tendency to both overstate and minimize the connection. As Jeffrey Duong and Catherine Bradshaw point out: while the prevalence of bullying is high (approximately 20% to 28%), “most children who are bullied do not become suicidal.” At the same time, children who have been bullied have an increased risk of mental and physical problems. Melissa Holt warns us that bullying should be considered one of several factors that increase a young persons risk for suicide. We must be careful, though, not to confuse correlation with causation. That is to say, that bullying most typically has an indirect effect on a young person taking their life, rather than being the sole cause. Finally, the suicide rate (both attempts and completions) among our young people is unacceptably high and requires systematic efforts for prevention and intervention.

Bullying is an abuse of power. By definition, bullying is seen as behavior that is intended to be hurtful and targets individuals perceived to be weaker and unable to defend themselves. Bully can be direct and face-to-face, or may be conducted through social media. Amanda Nickerson and Toni Orrange Trochia reviewed recent research showing that all children involved in bullying (targets, perpetrators, and those who are both) are at higher risk for mental health problems and subsequently higher risk for suicidal behavior. This risk increases with repeated involvement in bullying and, for targets, the belief that they are alone in their plight. At the same time, social environments (community, school, family, peer) that support differences and caring relationship provide greater protection from the harmful effects of bullying.

While the question of who gets bullied and why is complicated, we know that some groups are more likely to be the target of bullying than others. Those children who present themselves as “different” are more likely targets than those who fit in comfortably to school norms. Children from stigmatized or marginalized groups, including those with psychiatric problems, physical disabilities, sexual and gender minorities, are at higher risk for being targets of bullying and for suicidal behavior. Again, individuals from stigmatized groups with higher community, school, and family support fare better than those who perceive themselves to face torment alone.

A cultural perspective is important to understand the connection between bullying and suicide. The research on the complexity of ethnic differences in bullying and suicide is sparse and in some cases contradictory. By paying attention to bullying behaviors that happen between people of different ethnic groups and those that exist within the same ethnic group, a clearer picture arises. Different cultural patterns related to aggression and emotion expression help to understand and decode what behaviors warrant being labeled “bullying” within different cultures. Differences between ethnic groups of youth need to be taken into consideration when trying to understand whether bullying and/or suicidal behavior are on the increase. Finally, specific care and attention must be paid to the risk of both suicide and bullying among sexual and gender minority youth. Both of these groups are among the highest at risk.

In conclusion, even one suicide death that is triggered by a recent torment of bullying is too many. As we move to better our responses to the threat of suicide due to bullying, we are assisted by the careful scientific exploration of differential risk and protective factors. By taking community oriented, culturally informed approaches, we believe that current interventions can be improved and new interventions can be created.

The post Youth suicide and bullying: what’s the connection? appeared first on OUPblog.

        

Related Stories

• CERN: glorious past, exciting future
• Celebrating 60 years of CERN
• Bimonthly etymology gleanings for August and September 2014. Part 1