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Article Excerpt
Pediatric nurses may interface with teens before, during, and after violent episodes. It is important to be aware of the potential "red flags" pediatric nurses may encounter in the assessment and intervention of dating violence during the teen years. The role of the nurse may include detecting suspected cases of violence, counseling teens, ensuring youth safety, and preventing violence in dating relationships through education and programming.
This article will define dating violence and rape, share data about the incidence and prevalence, discuss risk factors for violence in intimate relationships, disclose dating violence myths, and describe the potential impact of youth dating violence. Youth perceptions and ongoing research will be analyzed to frame current and potential initiatives to reduce teen dating violence.
Dating Violence
Dating violence is the occurrence of physically, sexually, and/or psychologically violent episodes in the intimate interpersonal relationship. Glass et al. (2003) defined dating violence as the "perpetration or threat of an act of violence by at least one member of an unmarried couple within the context of dating or courtship (same sex or opposite sex)" (p. 228). The violent relationship includes a victim and a perpetrator in which one individual commits an act interpreted as violent against another within the context of the dating relationship. Many believe that adolescent development and the volatile relationships associated with the teen years increase the risk of violence (O'Keefe, 2005).
It is important to determine how teens themselves define abuse to intervene with the issue on adolescent terms. Teens have defined abuse according to context, intent, and actual harm associated with violent episodes (O'Keefe, 2005). In cases of revenge, retaliation, or to "save face," teens disclosed that hitting and other acts of abuse were justified actions or reactions toward the other individual (Sears, Byers, Whelan, & Saint-Pierre, 2006, p. 1197). Teens discussed difficulty in differentiating abuse from "just kidding around" or the demonstration of caring behaviors (Sears et al., 2006, p. 1197).
Research has found that there are significant differences in the definitions of interpersonal violence among youth based on gender. Girls perceived violence as a means to exert control or to dominate; boys tended to link violent acts with being provoked or "forced" into violent episodes (Sears et al., 2006, p. 1199). Girls viewed their own violent behaviors as "joking around" events, while boys were "serious" when they inflicted pain and violence (Sears et al., 2006, p. 1198). Boys discussed that girls were able to "get away" with the minor offenses for which boys would be punished (Sears et al., 2006, p.1198). In addition, boys defined abuse based on whether it was intended to cause pain as opposed to it being "an accident" or if "there is anger behind it" (Sears et al., 2006, p. 1197). In contrast, girls judged an episode as violent if the events result in "uneasiness, physical or emotional hurt, or fear" (Sears et al., 2006, p. 1197). These gender-related beliefs may have an impact on rates, responses, and means to intervene with adolescent dating violence.
Authors describe a "cycle of violence" related to the exertion of power and control over another individual (Seimer, 2004). This cycle includes the first phase of tension (including increasing levels of arguing, blame, and anger), the phase of violence (characterized by hitting, slapping, kicking, choking, use of objects or weapons, verbal threats or abuse, and sexual abuse), and the "honeymoon" phase (noted by calm, denial, apologies, excuses, and promises) (Seimer, 2004).
Prevalence
Studies project a wide range of percentages of youth experiencing dating violence, with figures ranging from 9% to 57% (O'Keefe, 2005). According to the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 9.9% of high-school-aged teens reported violence in response to the question, "During the past year, did your boyfriend or girlfriend ever hit, slap, or physically hurt you on purpose?" (Eaton et al., 2008). Among teens considered high-risk--or those participating in high risk behaviors, living in poverty, or from disadvantaged homes--it is believed that these rates climb to 33% of boys and 68% of girls (Chase, Treboux, & O'Leary, 2002). It is estimated that one in three girls report some level of dating violence (O'Keefe, 2005). About 8% of girls report that they were forced to have sex against their will, and 9% of boys and girls stated that they ended a relationship due to violence (Eaton et al., 2008; Seimer, 2004). It is believed that dating violence begins to emerge as a key issue in the 10th grade, with rates increasing in subsequent grade levels (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2008).
In contrast, inquiry of younger middle-school-aged students reveals that dating violence may occur earlier, with initial episodes occurring before 15 years of age. These early episodes of violence establish patterns of interpersonal violence that follow the individual throughout life (Arriaga & Foshee, 2004). Seimer (2004) noted that 11% of those who reported fighting during their previous date were 8th grade students. As more young teens are involved in dating, greater numbers of teens date at earlier ages, younger teens are involved in more single partner relationships, and teens date partners with significant age differences, dating violence rates among young adolescents may escalate (O'Keefe, 2005). Earlier ages of menarche and physical maturation may also have an impact on physical attraction, dating practices, sexual activity, and emotionally intense relationships, which may invoke violence (Champion, Foley, Sigmon-Smith, Sutfin, & DuRant, 2008).
Although domestic violence in adults is most often a male against female crime, research suggests that girls and boys are both victims and perpetrators of dating violence, with 8.8% of girls and 11% of boys reporting a violent occurrence (CDC, 2008). However, the nature of the violence is very different. Girls most often inflict minor physical and psychological abuse on a partner; boys are more likely to commit severe physical and sexual abuse...
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