Trigger Warning: Dating Violence, Abuse

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February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month. Below are the warning signs of unhealthy relationships, provided by the One Love Foundation, a non-profit organization whose goal is to educate and protect….

• Intensity: if the relationship gets very serious very fast
• Possessiveness: if your partner attempts to cut you off from family and peers or doesn’t allow you to spend time without them
• Manipulation: if your partner attempts to change your values or emotions or if they try to change your actions or decisions
• Isolation: like possessiveness, they attempt to keep you away from others. This can include them saying bad things about your friends in order for you to stop hanging out with them
• Sabotage: your partner may ruin your image, success, or self-worth in order to make you more reliant of them
• Belittling: if your partner makes fun of you or embarrasses you in front of others. Even when you speak up, they may pass it off as you “not being able to take a joke”
• Guilting: “you would do this if you loved me” “everyone else’s partner does this for them” These are just some of the ways your partner may try to make you feel responsible for their happiness
• Volatility: does your partner act unpredictably? Are you on edge or often scared of their reactions?
• Deflecting Responsibility: do they excuse their behavior by bringing up irrelevant factors?
• Betrayal: are they often dishonest, even about little things? Do they break your trust?

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If you experienced any of this or physical acts of violence, you are not alone. Almost 33% of United States teens experience some form of dating violence. 1 in every 12 high school students in the United States experiences physical violence from a partner and 1 in every 12 experience sexual dating violence. Common effects of teen dating violence are depression, anxiety, increased risk of pregnancy and STIs, and/or exhibiting antisocial behavior, poor school performance, or addictive behavior. Experiencing dating violence in high school can also increase the likelihood of experiencing IPV in college.

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Please reach out to any of the resources below if you believe you or a friend is experiencing dating violence.

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Information from: https://www.joinonelove.org/signs-unhealthy-relationship/ & https://www.chop.edu/news/health-tip/facts-about-teen-dating-violence-and-how-you-can-help-prevent-it#:~:text=Approximately%201%20in%203%20teens,before%20the%20age%20of%2018. & https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/teendatingviolence/fastfact.html

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Resources:

• Text “LOVEIS” to 22522 to get in contact with a peer advocate
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
• How to help a friend in an unhealthy relationship: https://www.joinonelove.org/learn/help_a_friend/
• How to help a friend who may be abusing their partner: https://www.joinonelove.org/learn/how-to-help-a-friend-who-may-be-abusing-their-partner/
• Break the Cycle: Learn about Dating Abuse https://www.breakthecycle.org/learn-about-dating-abuse/

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