It is difficult to say how common dating violence is among teens because different studies and surveys ask about it in different ways and get very different results. Some studies only ask about physical abuse, while others include questions about psychological and emotional abuse and sexual violence.
Some ask about dating violence over the lifetime, while others only ask about the current relationship or the past year. Past estimates of physical and sexual dating violence among high school students typically range from 10 percent to 25 percent, and estimates for college students range from 20 to 30 percent.
One recent national survey found that about 1 in 10 female high school students and about 1 in 11 male students said they had been hit, slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by their boyfriend or girlfriend in the past year.
In another recent survey in Massachusetts, almost 1 in 5 female high school students said they had experienced physical or sexual violence in a dating relationship, with 9 percent reporting only physical abuse, 4 percent only sexual abuse, and 5 percent both physical and sexual abuse.
Teenage girls in heterosexual relationships are much more likely than teenage boys to suffer from sexual abuse.
Both male and female adolescents report being victims of physical violence in relationships. Many relationships involve mutual abuse, with both partners using violence against the other. However, it is clear that male and female adolescents use physical force for different reasons and with different results.
Researchers have found that female teens suffer more from relationship violence, emotionally and physically. They are much more likely than males to have serious injuries and to report being terrified. In contrast, male victims seldom seem to fear violence by their dates or girlfriends, often saying that the attacks did not hurt and that they found the violence amusing.
