Broadly defined as a pattern of abuse or threat of abuse against teenaged dating partners, TDV occurs across diverse groups and cultures. Although the dynamics of TDV are similar to adult domestic violence, the forms and experience of TDV as well as the challenges in seeking and providing services make the problem of TDV unique. TDV occurs in different forms, including verbal, emotional, physical, sexual, and digital, and the experience of TDV may have both immediate and long term effects on young people. The documents included in this section highlight the widespread problem of TDV, the different types of dating abuse, and their impacts on young people. These documents draw from various studies that use different measures. Therefore, data presented in these documents vary.
More than 1 in 5 women and nearly 1 in 7 men who have experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner first experienced some form of intimate partner violence between 11 and 17 years of age (CDC, 2011).
In a survey of 500 teen and young adults, 57% percent waited six months or more before seeking any help while 40% hadn’t talked to anyone about abusive behavior in their relationship (Mary Kay, 2014).