Love hurts. But there is a major difference between a healthy relationship that is spotted by occasional arguments, and one that is defined by constant abuse and violence.
February is the third annual National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month.
President Barack Obama made an official presidential proclamation on Jan. 31, 2013, stating that Americans have a “responsibility to make dating violence an act that is never tolerated in our communities, among those we know, or in our own lives.”
He said that around 1 in 10 teenagers will be abused in some form by dating partners this year. Obama added that young women are victims of dating violence more often than young men.
The official website for the awareness month www.teendvmonth.org/ states that dating violence “is a pattern of abusive behaviors used to exert power and control over a dating partner.” Generally, the violent behaviors increase over periods of time.
According to the website, 1 in 3 U.S. girls suffers from verbal, emotional or physical abuse from the person they are dating. Dating violence can take the form of physical, verbal, emotional, sexual or technological abuse.
The website lists many warning signs of perpetrators, including dating partners who act possessive, check your phone or email without permission, and partners who express excessive jealousy, insecurity and anger.
Mental health experts further define dating violence and warning signs of perpetrators and victims.
Elizabeth Waterman, a licensed clinical psychologist who works at Morningside Recovery Center, said in an email that she considers teen dating violence to include any of the following:
• Stalking
• Psychological violence
• Emotional violence
• Physical violence
• Sexual violence
She said the following are warning signs of victims of dating violence:
1) “Unexplained bruises or injuries, and when asked about the cause of the injuries, the person's explanation is vague or does not match the injury.”
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