Dating Violence
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Headline

One out of every 10 high school students was a victim of dating violence in 2007. (Figure 1)

Importance

Dating violence can cause emotional and physical harm for both males and females,¹ though females are more likely to report physical injury by an intimate partner.² While males and females report similar levels of dating violence, research has shown that dating violence by females is often defensive.³ Youth who report being victims of dating violence are likely to have lower self-esteem and are more likely to report poor emotional well-being, suicidal thoughts, and disordered eating.⁴

Risk factors predicting youth violence in general include substance abuse, conflict and abuse in the home, harsh or inattentive parenting, antisocial and delinquent peers, and living in neighborhoods where crime and drug use are prevalent.⁵

Trends

The percentage of students in grades 9 through 12 who reported being victims of dating violence during the previous 12 months was stable between 1999 and 2007 at 9 to 10 percent. (Table 1)

Differences by Gender

In 2007, male students were more likely than female students to report having been victims of dating violence (11 percent as compared to 9 percent, respectively). (Figure 1) Both genders are significantly more likely to be victims of dating violence as they age. (Table 1)

Differences by Race and Ethnicity

In 2007, black non-Hispanic students were the most likely to be victims of dating violence (14 percent), followed by Hispanic students (11 percent) and white non-Hispanic students (8 percent). (Figure 2)

Related Indicators

Adolescents Who Have Ever Been Raped, Physical Fighting by Youth, Violent Victimization of Youth

State and Local Estimates

Estimates for 2007 are available for high school students (Grades 9-12) by grade and sex for selected states and cities from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey System (YRBSS), Table 10.

International Estimates

None available

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What Works: Programs and Interventions that May Influence this Indicator

Programs and interventions that research has evaluated for this indicator.

Research References

¹Health Canada. "Dating Violence," National Clearinghouse on Family Violence.

²U.S. Department of Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Violence Against Women: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey." November 1998.

³Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Dating Violence," National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

⁴Ackard, D.M., and Neumark-Sztainer. (2002) "Date violence and date rape among adolescents: associations with disordered eating behaviors and psychological health." Child Abuse and Neglect 26 455-473.

⁵U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General, SAMHSA. Youth Violence: A Report of the Surgeon General.

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Definition

Students were asked if they had been hit, slapped, or physically hurt, on purpose, by a boyfriend or girlfriend in the 12 months preceding the survey.

Data Source

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC Surveillance Summaries,
Data for 1999: June 9, 2000. MMWR 2000; 49(No. SS-5): Table 8.
Data for 2001: June 28, 2002. MMWR 2002; 51 (No. SS-4): Table 8.
Data for 2003: May 21, 2004. MMWR 2004; 53(No. SS-2): Table 10.
Data for 2005: June 9, 2006. MMWR 2006; 55 (No. SS-5): Table 10.

Raw Data Source

Youth Risk Behavior Survey System (YRBSS)

Approximate Date of Next Update

Summer 2010

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