Boston University study finds that dating violence is common among teens

A new study by Boston University’s School of Public Health (BUSPH) indicates that nearly half (48 percent) of adolescents ages 12-18 have been stalked or harassed during a relationship, and 42 percent have done the stalking or harassing.

The study was published in the journal Youth & Society, and expands on previous research focusng on non-physical courting abuse, which researchers say can result in physical violence.

"These victimization and perpetration numbers are unacceptably high,” said research lead writer, Dr. Emily Rothman. “Unfortunately, they are in line with estimates of similar problems like dating and sexual violence victimization, so they are both shocking and unsurprising at the same time.”

Dr. Rothman is a professor of neighborhood well being sciences at Boston University. She collaborated with colleagues the University of Chicago's NORC to analyze information from the Survey on Teen Relationships and Intimate Violence (STRiV) from 148 boys and 172 girls who had been in relationships in the previous 12 months. The participants answered questions regarding accomplices who spied on them, broke their belongings, or explored their online accounts. The survey also asked if the individuals in the study had done those things themselves.

The study found that rates of perpetration and victimization were similar for both sexes: 46.5 percent of young men and 50.6 percent of young women reported stalking or harassing someone in a relationship; 44.6 percent of the males and 51.1 percent of the females reported this behavior from someone they were in a relationship with.

Researchers say that forces exist that lead to courting abuse beyond the individual – such as family relationships, racism, poverty, homophobia and other discrimination.  

“We know from intervention research that the way to prevent stalking and harassment, or sexual and dating violence, is partly about addressing how young people think about relationships, gender norms, and improving their social-emotional skills, but these are also influenced by the context in which they are operating,” said Rothman.