Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Teen Dating Violence Policy: An Analysis of Teen Dating Violence Prevention Policy and Programming

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan

  • 151 Accesses

Abstract

Teen dating violence (TDV) is a public health concern that can lead to long-term mental and physical health consequences, such as depression, anxiety, risky behaviors, and unhealthy adult relationships. In the USA, over 20 states have laws requiring school districts or public health districts to incorporate a TDV prevention program, yet districts are given little to no direction or resources to implement these programs. This chapter examines TDV prevention education legislation in Texas as well as a subset of school districts that implemented TDV programs. Based on a mixed-methods approach, a research methodology for collecting, analyzing, and integrating quantitative and qualitative data, researchers found that students and teachers were generally positive about TDV prevention programs. The mixed-methods study was grounded in a community-based participatory research approach and included semi-structured interviews, focus groups, survey data, and discourse analysis. Results also showed that although TDV prevention programs are liked generally, there was a focus on individual prevention at the expense of understanding the structural foundations of TDV. The chapter concludes with a recommendation that TDV prevention education and legislation take individual and structural factors at the family, school, and community level into account.

This chapter was initially published with an incorrect copyright holder name. It has been corrected to © Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Connolly, J., Pepler, D., Craig, W., & Taradash, A. (2000). Dating experiences of bullies in early adolescence. Child Maltreatment, 5(4), 299–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cornelius, T. L., & Resseguie, N. (2007). Primary and secondary prevention programs for dating violence: A review of the literature. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 12(3), 364–375.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crooks, C. V., Wolfe, D. A., Hughes, R., Jaffe, P. G., & Chiodo, D. (2008). Development, evaluation and national implementation of a school-based program to reduce violence and related risk behaviours: Lessons from the fourth R. IPC Review, 2(2), 109–135.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cui, M., Ueno, K., Gordon, M., & Fincham, F. D. (2013). The continuation of intimate partner violence from adolescence to young adulthood. Journal of Marriage and Family, 75(2), 300–313.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De La Rue, L., Polanin, J. R., Espelage, D. L., & Pigott, T. D. (2017). A meta-analysis of school-based interventions aimed to prevent or reduce violence in teen dating relationships. Review of Educational Research, 87(1), 7–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eaton, D. K., Kann, L., Kinchen, S., Shanklin, S., Ross, J., Hawkins, J., … & Lim, C. (2008). Youth risk behavior surveillance--United States, 2007. Morbidity and mortality weekly report. Surveillance summaries (Washington, DC: 2002), 57(4), 1–131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Espelage, D. L., & Holt, M. K. (2007). Dating violence & sexual harassment across the bully-victim continuum among middle and high school students. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 36(6), 799–811.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Exner-Cortens, D., Eckenrode, J., & Rothman, E. (2013). Longitudinal associations between teen dating violence victimization and adverse health outcomes. Pediatrics, 131(1), 71–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Faridi, Z., Grunbaum, J. A., Gray, B. S., Franks, A., & Simoes, E. (2007). Community-based participatory research: Necessary next steps. Preventing chronic disease, 4(3), 1–5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1955426/pdf/PCD43A70.pdf/?tool=EBI.

  • Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D. F., Spitz, A. M., Edwards, V., … & Marks, J. S. (2019). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 56(6), 774–786.

    Google Scholar 

  • Healthy People 2020. (2017, October). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Retrieved from: https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/educational-and-community-based-programs/objectives.

  • Krueger, R., & Casey, M. (2009). Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Legislature of the State of Texas. (2007). Dating violence policies act, HB.121. Retrieved from: http://tcfv.org/pdf/hb121/HB00121F.pdf.

  • Logic. (2017). 1–800–272-8255 ft. Alessia Cara, Khalid. Def James Recordings, a division of UMG Recordings, Inc. https://youtu.be/Kb24RrHIbFk.

  • MacQueen, K. M., McLellan, E., Kay, K., & Milstein, B. (1998). Codebook development for team-based qualitative analysis. CAM Journal, 10(2), 31–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marmot, M. (2009). Social determinants and adolescent health. International Journal of Public Health, 54, 125–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, W. L., & Crabtree, B. F. (1999). Depth interviewing. In B. F. Crabtree & W. L. Miller (Eds.), Doing qualitative research in primary care: Multiple strategies (2nd ed., pp. 89–107). Newbury Park: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Conference of State Legislatures. (2017, May 9). Teen Dating Violence. Retrieved from: http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/teen-dating-violence.aspx#State%20Laws.

  • Office of Legislative Counsel. (2013). Violence against women act of 1994. Retrieved from: http://legcounsel.house.gov/Comps/DOMVIOL.PDF.

  • Peskin, M. F., Markham, C. M., Shegog, R., Baumler, E. R., Addy, R. C., & Tortolero, S. R. (2014). Effects of the it’s your game… keep it real program on dating violence in ethnic-minority middle school youths: A group randomized trial. American Journal of Public Health, 104(8), 1471–1477.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pinderhughes, H., Davis, R., & Williams, M. (2015). Adverse community experiences and resilience: A framework for addressing and preventing community trauma. Oakland: Prevention Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramos, J. (2010). Defining violence on the blackboard: An overview of the Texas Education Code’s approach to teen dating violence. The Scholar: St. Mary’s Law Review on Minority Issues, 13, 105–148.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, K. (2016, October 5). The psychology of victim blaming. The Atlantic. Retrieved from: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/10/the-psychology-of-victim-blaming/502661/.

  • Silverman, J. G., Raj, A., Mucci, L. A., & Hathaway, J. E. (2001). Dating violence against adolescent girls and associated substance use, unhealthy weight control, sexual risk behavior, pregnancy, and suicidality. JAMA, 286(5), 572–579.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Texas House of Representatives Chamber Session. [video]. (2007). Retrieved from: http://tlchouse.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=17&clip_id=4670

  • Texas Senate Committee on Education. [video]. (2007). Retrieved from: http://tlcsenate.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=16&clip_id=2962.

  • Trella’s Foundation. (2015). Retrieved from: http://www.ortrallafoundation.org/about.html.

  • Weisberg, D. K. (2013). Lindsay's legacy: The tragedy that triggered law reform to prevent teen dating violence. Hastings Women's Law Journal, 24, 27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitaker, D. J., Morrison, S., Lindquist, C., Hawkins, S. R., O'Neil, J. A., Nesius, A. M., … & Reese, L. R. (2006). A critical review of interventions for the primary prevention of perpetration of partner violence. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 11(2), 151–166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolfe, D. A., Crooks, C., Jaffe, P., Chiodo, D., Hughes, R., Ellis, W., … & Donner, A. (2009). A school-based program to prevent adolescent dating violence: A cluster randomized trial. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 163(8), 692–699.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolitzky-Taylor, K. B., Ruggiero, K. J., Danielson, C. K., Resnick, H. S., Hanson, R. F., Smith, D. W., … & Kilpatrick, D. G. (2008). Prevalence and correlates of dating violence in a national sample of adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 47(7), 755–762.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. UTMB Health, Galveston, TX, USA

    Shannon Guillot-Wright, Elizabeth D. Torres, Arlene Macdonald & Jeff R. Temple

  2. University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA

    Yu Lu

Authors
  1. Shannon Guillot-Wright
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yu Lu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Elizabeth D. Torres
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Arlene Macdonald
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Jeff R. Temple
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jeff R. Temple .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute on Violence, Abuse, and Trauma, San Diego, CA, USA

    Robert Geffner

  2. Department of Psychology College of Arts and Sciences, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA

    Jacquelyn W. White

  3. Department of Family and Community Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    L. Kevin Hamberger

  4. Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA

    Alan Rosenbaum

  5. Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Viola Vaughan-Eden

  6. Education and Research, Zero Abuse Project, St. Paul, MN, USA

    Victor I. Vieth

Section Editor information

  1. University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA

    Theodore Paul Cross

  2. Owner/Principle Consultant & Trainer, Russell Consulting Specialists, LLc, Vancouver, Washington, USA

    Amy Russell

  3. Executive Director, Arthur D. Curtis Children's Justice Center http://www.clark.wa.gov/cjc

    Amy Russell

  4. Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA

    Heather Risser

  5. Education and Research, Zero Abuse Project, St. Paul, MN, USA

    Victor Vieth

  6. Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    Ernestine Briggs

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Guillot-Wright, S., Lu, Y., Torres, E.D., Macdonald, A., Temple, J.R. (2022). Teen Dating Violence Policy: An Analysis of Teen Dating Violence Prevention Policy and Programming. In: Geffner, R., White, J.W., Hamberger, L.K., Rosenbaum, A., Vaughan-Eden, V., Vieth, V.I. (eds) Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89999-2_294

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation