ADOLESCENT DATING VIOLENCE & PREVENTION

Christine Wekerle, Ph.D. (wekerc@mcmaster.ca)

Associate Professor, Pediatrics, McMaster University

Follow on Twitter @ResilienceInYou

Resilience Website: www.in-car.ca

QUICK QUIZ (1) By age 15, teens can use advanced reasoning skills?

True or False ?

(2) The part of the brain that controls emotions does not fully develop until the

20s?

True or False ?

(3) The adolescent brain is more sensitive to rewards?

True or False ?

KEY MESSAGE:

ADOLESCENCE is THE TIME TO TACKLE LIFESTYLE DECISONS

DEFINITIONS Dating – personal identity, interpersonal skills, autonomy,

social support

Dating violence – source of stress • A pattern of violent behavior that one person uses against

their partner to cause pain. It can include emotional, physical and sexual violence.” (US Centers of Disease Control & Prevention)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrBC-vLh2eI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmM-n4GhVaE

YRBSS (CDC) single-item: “In the past 12 months, has your boyfriend/girlfriend hit, slammed you into something, or injured you with an object or a weapon on purpose?”

73.9% dating;

> 10.3% physically victimized • 13% female; 7.4% males

> 10.4% kissed, touched, or physically forced to have sexual intercourse when they did not want to

• 14% females; 6.2% males

BC ADOLESCENT HEALTH SURVEY 2013

39% Dating

6% Victim of Physical Dating Violence

Dating Violence Victims More Likely • Victims of Bullying (2X)

Youth with No Close Friends (14% vs. 6%)

Youth with Friends who would not be upset if they beat someone up More

Likely to be Victims (8% vs. 4%)

KEY MESSAGE: DATING DISCUSSIONS NEEDS TO BE PART OF

ROUTINE HEALTH VISITS AND IN RISK CONTEXTS*

RIGHTS & RED FLAGS http://www.cyfd.org/docs/red_flags.pdf

Rights, Respect, Resiliency in Relationships can be part of context-

setting as a way to talk with teens about building healthy relationships and

their experiences (love vs. emotional abuse; jealousy as a positive)

First dates (lack of experience base)

Early dating/dating an adult (girls)/dating younger (boys)

YOU TH REL ATI ONS HI P S P ROJ ECT (WOL F E ET AL . , 2 0 0 1 )

Co-educational small group, 18 session x 4 mo. ; Mid-adolescent teens (ages 14-17) ; At-risk youth – mild-to-moderate intellectual

Male/Female Facilitator Pair

Guest Speakers – former batterer/counsellor (“Changing Ways”); former victim ( shelter programs)

Human rights approach

Healthy Relationship concept development

Skills practice – role-plays; scenario solving

Mastery/Advocacy activity

Decreased self-reported dating violence; increased interpersonal competency scores; trend to decrease trauma symptoms

KEY MESSAGE: IMPORTANCE OF PREVENTION TO AT-RISK YOUTH

KEY MESSAGES Relationships are a critical resilience vehicle – teens need to have thought

about what they want in a dating relationship to be able to respond to dating

behaviours appropriately

Skills are learned (AND PRACTICED) – targeting attitudes not enough

Problem behaviours can cluster together – prioritize mental health

Special attention to at-risk groups: child welfare-involved, justice-involved,

street-involved, mental health issues etc.

Adolescent is an important time for refining (& re-learning) relating - KEY

WINDOW OF PREVENTION & LIFESTYLES DECISION-MAKING

**On-line training (about 1 hr.) available

at:

http://www.vetoviolence.cdc.gov/datingmat

ters/)

Thank-you for listening!