The Facts About Dating Abuse

Dating abuse affects teens & young adults every day.

• 1 in 3 young people experience dating abuse during their teenage years¹.
• Young women, ages 16 to 24, experience the highest rates of relationship violence, almost triple the national average².
• 1 in 5 college students report dating violence by a  current partner³.

Dating abuse often goes unreported.

• Only 50% of dating abuse victims report the abuse to someone else; of those who do report, 88% tell a friend⁴.

Dating abuse can take many forms.

Dating abuse can have serious and long-lasting effects.

• Physical harm
• Isolation
• Sadness
• Eating disorders
• Depression
• Suicidal thoughts

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¹ U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2000). Special Report: Intimate Partner Violence.
² Carolyn Tucker Halpern, Ph.D. et al.. (2001). Partner Violence Among Adolescents in Opposite-Sex Romantic Relationships: Findings From the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. American Journal of Public Health.
^3,4 C. Sellers and M. Bromley. (1996). Violence Behavior in College Student Dating Relationships. Journal of Contemporary Justice.