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How to Prevent Teen Dating Violence in Schools

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Everyone deserves safe and healthy relationships. However, the romantic experiences of many teens are anything but. Teens can be highly vulnerable to dating violence and the impact can be long lasting. School leaders are in a unique position to help prevent and stop teen dating violence among their student body.  Join us as we explore the types of teen dating violence, the effects on the victims, how it can lead to other violence, and finally how to prevent teen dating violence in schools.

What is teen dating violence?

Dating violence is violence committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim.

Types of Teen Dating Violence

Dating violence can take place in person, online or through technology. Acts of dating violence include:

  • Physical violence. A person hurting or trying to hurt a partner by hitting, kicking or other types of physical force.
  • Sexual violence. An attempt to or forcing a partner to take part in a sex act, sexual touching, or a non-physical sexual event (e.g., sexting) when the partner does not or cannot consent. It includes non-physical sexual behaviors like posting or sharing sexual pictures of a partner without their consent.
  • Psychological aggression. The use of verbal and non-verbal communication with the intent to harm a partner mentally or emotionally and/or exert control over them.
  • Stalking. A pattern of repeated, unwanted attention and contact by a partner that causes fear or concern for one’s own safety or the safety of someone close to the victim.

 

How common is teen dating violence?

Teen dating violence is highly prevalent, with as many as 69% of youth reporting victimization.1 Nearly 26% of women and 15% of men experienced dating violence before the age of 18.2 Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth are at higher risk for dating violence compared to heterosexual and cisgender youth.3

Effects of Teen Dating

Teens who experience dating violence have an increased risk for a range of negative outcomes, which include adverse effects on their mental and physical health and substance use disorders. Victims of dating violence can become isolated from their peers, making it hard for them to develop and maintain normal peer relationships and experience healthy dating relationship(s).

Links to Other Types of Violence

Teen dating violence is closely related to other types of violence, including different forms of family violence and conflict (e.g., witnessing violence between parents).5 It is highly associated with child maltreatment and sexual victimization.6

Bullying behaviors in childhood and early adolescence may precede teen dating violence. Youth who engage in high-rates of bullying during middle school are almost seven-times more likely to engage in physical forms of teen dating violence in high school. Meaning, early efforts to stop bullying may help to prevent dating violence in later years.

How to Prevent Teen Dating Violence in Schools

Teen dating violence is a serious issue that can negatively impact students’ learning and contribute to unsafe school environments. There are several important strategies school administrators can implement to prevent teen dating violence.

School Teen Dating Violence Policies

Schools should have a clear policy on dating violence, some states even mandate it. This policy should outline the school’s stance on dating violence, the consequences for those who engage in such behavior and the support(s) available to students. Existing policies should be periodically updated with current information and state laws.

Educate school personnel

School personnel should be trained using the latest research about what teen dating violence is, how to identify it, respond to it and strategies to prevent it. Training should also address reporting and response requirements for acts of sexual assault and sexual harassment. It is important that staff understand what acts between students must be reported in compliance with Title IX and under mandatory child abuse reporting laws.

Educate Students

Students in grades 7-12 should be educated about dating violence, including information on what dating violence is, how to avoid it, what to do if they or someone they know is a victim and how to safely and effectively intervene should they witness it. Students should understand the difference between caring, healthy relationships and controlling, manipulative and destructive relationships.

Social-emotional learning programs promote expectations for respectful, caring and non-violent relationships and help youth develop skills such as empathy, respect and healthy communication and conflict resolution skills.

School-level interventions

Interventions such as temporary school-based restraining orders, higher levels of staff and security presence in “hot spots” and raising awareness of teen dating violence can help to reduce it.

Schools can display dating violence educational posters and provide resource cards to students. Such measures might prompt students in abusive relationships to seek help.

Another school-level strategy is to implement evidence-based prevention programs like CDC’s Dating Matters, which is a comprehensive teen dating violence prevention model.

Programs that promote positive relationship expectations and condemn violent and unhealthy relationship behaviors are critical to dating violence prevention efforts. Bystander empowerment programs promote social norms that are protective against violence. Participants learn specific strategies on how to intervene in situations of dating violence.

Involve community agencies and families

Collaborate with community agencies and families for a comprehensive approach to teen dating violence prevention. Schools can partner with local domestic violence and rape crisis programs to develop materials, resources and responses that are best suited to the unique needs of teen victims.

School environments that enhance student safety and promote healthy relationships and respectful boundaries while promoting zero acceptance for violent behaviors help to reduce rates of teen dating violence.

 

Empower Your District with Title IX Training for Teachers and Staff

Equip your teachers and staff with the knowledge and skills to promote safety and equality. Our online training helps educate staff on how to recognize, prevent, and respond to Title IX violations. Learn more about our compliance training today!

Learn More!
  1. Bruce G. Taylor and Elizabeth A. Mumford, “A National Descriptive Portrait of Adolescent Relationship Abuse: Results From the National Survey on Teen Relationships and Intimate Violence,” Journal of Interpersonal Violence 31 no. 6 (2016): 963-988, https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260514564070.
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Preventing Teen Dating Violence,” Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021, https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/ipv/TDV-factsheet_508.pdf.
  3. Meredith Dank et al., “Dating Violence Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth,” Journal of Youth and Adolescence 43 (2014): 846-857, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10964-013-9975-8.
  4. Vangie A. Foshee et al., “Bullying as a Longitudinal Predictor of Adolescent Dating Violence,” Journal of Adolescent Health 55 no. 3 (2014): 439-444, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.03.004.
  5. Offenhauer and Buchalter, “Teen Dating Violence: A Literature Review and Annotated Bibliography”; and Dorothy L. Espelage, Jun S. Hong, and Alberto Valido, “Associations Among Family Violence, Bullying, Sexual Harassment, and Teen Dating Violence,” in Adolescent Dating Violence: Theory, Research, and Prevention, ed. David A. Wolfe and Jeff R. Temple (Cambridge, MA: Academic Press, 2018), 85-102, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-811797-2.00004-9.
  6. Hamby, Finkelhor, and Turner, “Teen Dating Violence: Co-Occurrence with Other Victimizations.”