USA TODAY: More than a third of teen guys and girls say they’ve been physically, emotionally or sexually abused in their dating relationships, according to new, unpublished data from a nationwide survey. Similar numbers of both sexes say they’ve been abusers.
Additional new research shows teens who abuse their girlfriends and boyfriends often share a past as middle-school bullies.
These findings, to be presented today in Honolulu at a meeting of the American Psychological Association, are the latest to shed light on a problem that has only come out of the shadows in recent years. Researchers and educators eager to stop violent patterns early — and reduce abuse not only among teens but among the adults they will become — already are testing programs that teach younger children and teens how to have healthier relationships. But as they seek to understand why so many young people hit, demean or force sex on their partners, much remains unclear… (more)
