Pre- Assessment

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Tell me what you know

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1- I strongly disagree

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5- I strongly agree

1. Teen Dating Violence (TDV) does not include Stalking

True False

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• Males never experience TVD

True False

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• I know the “red flags” of TVD

1 2 3 4 5

• Its ok if your partner discourages you from hanging out with your best friends.

1 2 3 4 5

Teen Dating Violence

SAFETY NET PROGRAM

What is teen dating violence?

Teen Dating Violence (TDV)

• TDV is an adverse childhood experience that’s is also known as "dating violence" and affects millions of young people in the United States.
• There are many different forms of dating violence, including those that occur in person, online, and through technology. It is a type of intimate partner violence (IPV).
• The term IPV describes physical, stalking or psychological harm by a current or former partner or spouse.

TDV can include the following types of behavior:

Physical Violence

• Physical Violence is when a person hurts or tries to hurt a partner by hitting, kicking, or using another type of physical force.
• Other examples include:
• Shoving
• Biting
• throwing objects
• Choking
• Or any other aggressive contact

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Psychological Aggression

• Psychological aggression is the use of verbal and non-verbal communication with the intent to harm a partner mentally or emotionally and exert control over a partner.
• Some examples include:
• Isolating the victim from friends or family
• Humiliating the victim in front of others
• Using degrading names or insults
• Gaslighting
• Threatening suicide as a manipulation tactic
• Downplaying or dismissing the victim’s concerns about the abuse

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Stalking

• Stalking is a pattern of repeated, unwanted attention and contact by a current or former partner that causes fear or safety concern for an individual victim or someone close to the victim.
• Some examples include:
• Repeated unwanted or threatening phone calls or messages
• Showing up unwanted�

Destruction of Property

• Domestic violence can include intentional destruction of a partner’s property if the behavior is meant to convey a threat, such as:
• Smashing a partner’s phone
• Keying or denting a partner’s car
• Harming a partner’s pet
• Vandalizing a partner’s home or workplace

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• Teens often think some behaviors like teasing and name-calling are a “normal” part of a relationship, but these behaviors can become abusive and develop into serious forms of violence.

Facts about Teen Dating Violence

TVD Facts

Red Flags

• Unhealthy or abusive relationships take many forms, and there is not one specific behavior that causes a relationship to be categorized as such. However, there are certain behaviors that should be cause for concern. Behaviors that should raise a red flag include:
•  Excessive jealousy or insecurity;
•  Invasions of your privacy;
• Unexpected bouts of anger or rage;
• Unusual moodiness;
• Blaming you for problems in the relationship and not taking any responsibility for the same;
• Controlling tendencies;
• Explosive temper;
• Preventing you from going out with or talking to other people;
• Constantly monitoring your whereabouts and checking in to see what you are doing and who you are with;

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Effects of TDV

• During adolescence, relationships have a significant impact on their emotional development. Negative effects may result from unhealthy, abusive, or violent relationships

Correlational research suggests that victims of teen dating violence are more likely to:

• Do poorly in school or not attend school due to feeling unsafe;
• Report binge drinking, smoking, using drugs, or engaging in unhealthy diet behaviors, including taking diet pills or laxatives and vomiting to lose weight;
• Attempt suicide and report feelings of hopelessness and sadness;
• Develop a negative body image and become uncomfortable with their sexuality;
• Be overly dependent on others and not achieving independence;
• Enter into violent adult relationships

Who is at risk for teen dating violence?

There are many causes of dating violence, and no two teens will experience it in exactly the same way. Some factors, however, may make a teen more likely to be a victim of dating violence, including:

• a history of exposure to domestic violence
• a history of other types of aggressive behavior, such as being the victim or perpetrator of bullying.
• mental health symptoms, such as depression or anxiety
• alcohol or drug use 
• rule-breaking, such as truancy, or gang involvement

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The Cycle of Abuse

Tension-Building Phase

• Abusive partners often lash out in response to external stressors. Anything can fuel tension: family issues, trouble at work, physical illness, fatigue.
• Frustration and dissatisfaction intensify over time, often prompting feelings of powerlessness, injustice, anger and paranoia.
• Sensing the simmering tension, you might try to find ways to placate the abusive partner and prevent abuse from happening.
• You may feel anxious, on your guard, and hyperalert to their potential needs. You might alternate between tiptoeing around them, trying not to set them off, and making an extra effort to provide physical and emotional support.

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Incident/Explosion Phase

• The abuser eventually releases this tension on others, attempting to regain power by establishing control.
• Abuse might involve:
• Insults or name-calling
• Threats of harm or property destruction
• Attempts to control your behavior
• Physical violence
• Emotional manipulation
• They might accuse you of making them mad or blame you for your “relationship problems.”

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Reconciliation Phase

• After the incident of abuse, tension gradually begins to fade. In an attempt to move past the abuse, the abuser often uses kindness, gifts, and loving gestures to usher in a “honeymoon” stage.
• This devoted behavior can trigger the release of dopamine and oxytocin, helping you feel even more closely bonded and leading you to believe you have your “real” relationship back.

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Calm Phase

• To maintain peace and harmony, both parties generally have to come up with some sort of explanation or justification for the abuse.
• The abusive partner might:
• Apologize while blaming others
• Point to outside factors to justify their behavior
• Minimize the abuse or deny it happened
• Accuse you of provoking them
• They might show plenty of remorse, assure you it won’t happen again, and seem more attuned to your needs than usual. You might begin to accept their excuses, even doubt your memory of the abuse. Maybe it really was nothing, like they said.

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Rinse and Repeat

• This cycle then repeats over time.
• This “cycle” happens over and over within abusive relationships, though. The length of time between each repetition can vary. It often shortens over time as the abuse escalates.
• As time goes on, the calm period may become very short or even disappear from the cycle entirely.

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Defining Unhealthy Relationships & Dating Abuse

• Relationships that are not healthy are based on power and control, not equality and respect. Possessiveness, insults, jealous accusations, yelling, humiliation, pulling hair, pushing or other negative, abusive behaviors, are—at their root—exertions of power and control.
• Dating violence can happen to anyone, regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation or background.
• Drugs and alcohol can affect a person’s judgment and behavior, but they do not excuse abuse or violence. Alternatively, if a person uses drugs/alcohol it does not mean they deserve abuse or assault.

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Defining Healthy Relationships

RELATIONSHIPS EXIST ON A SPECTRUM�All relationships exist on a spectrum, from healthy to abusive to somewhere in between. Below, we outline behaviors that occur in healthy, unhealthy and abusive relationships.

Resources

• https://www.lifespan.org/lifespan-living/teens-and-dating-violence
• https://www.cdc.gov/injury/features/dating-violence/index.html
• https://www.teendvmonth.org/
• https://www.healthline.com/health/relationships/cycle-of-abuse#alternative-models
• https://www.verywellfamily.com/the-cycle-of-teen-domestic-violence-3200909
• http://www.loveisrespect.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/highschool-educators-toolkit.pdf

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Post - Assessment

​

Tell me what you know

​

1- I strongly disagree

​

5- I strongly agree

• Teen Dating Violence (TDV) does not include Stalking

True False

​

• Males never experience TVD

True False

​

• I know the “red flags” of TVD

1 2 3 4 5

• Its ok if your partner discourages you from hanging out with your best friends.

1 2 3 4 5