This document summarizes a presentation given at the 121st Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association in Honolulu, HI on July 31, 2013. The presentation discussed rates of physical, psychological, and sexual teen dating violence found in the national Growing up with Media survey. Key findings included that 41% of females and 37% of males reported experiencing dating violence victimization, with higher rates of physical perpetration reported among females and sexual perpetration among males. Differences in rates between demographic groups were generally small, and many adolescents reported both perpetrating and experiencing abuse. The presenters concluded that dating abuse is common among teens and that relationship dynamics likely play a role in reciprocal abuse.

1. 121st Annual Convention of the American Psychological
Association
Honolulu, HI
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
National rates of physical, psychological,
and sexual teen dating violence
Michele L. Ybarra MPH PhD, Center for Innovative Public Health
Research
Dorothy Espelage PhD, University of Illinois at Champaign.
Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling PhD, University of Southern
Alabama.
Josephine D. Korchmaros PhD, Center for Innovative Public
Health Research (Currently: Southwest Institute for Research
on Women)
danah boyd PhD, Microsoft Research / New York University
* Thank you for your interest in this presentation. Please note that analyses
included herein are preliminary. More recent, finalized analyses may be available
by contacting CiPHR for further information.

2. Acknowledgements
Growing up with Media: This survey was supported by
Cooperative Agreement number U49/CE000206 from the
CDC. The findings and conclusions in this report are those
of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official
position of the CDC.
We would like to thank the entire Growing up with Media
Study team from Internet Solutions for Kids, Harris
Interactive, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public
Health, and the CDC, who contributed to the planning and
implementation of the study. Finally, we thank the families
for their time and willingness to participate in this study.

3. Study motivation
Comprehensive national rates of adolescent
dating violence (ADV) are critical to
understanding the scope of the problem.
They also help with benchmarking for
ongoing investigation into the behavior.
These data are lacking.

4. Growing up with Media survey
methodology
Data are from the national, online Growing
up with Media study.
 Data were collected in 2011 and 2012 from
1,058 adolescents 14-20 years of age;
 Data were analyzed in 2013


5. ADV Victimization
Non-victim
Females
Victim
59%
Males
41%
63%
0%
10%
20%
30%
37%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%

6. ADV Perpetration
Non-perpetrator
Females
65%
Males
35%
71%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
29%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%

7. Differences are noted by sex
Females were significantly more likely than
males to report:
 Physical ADV perpetration and
 Sexual ADV victimization.
Males were significantly more likely than females
to report sexual ADV perpetration.
Rates were similar for males and females for:
 Physical ADV victimization
 Psychological ADV perpetration and
 Psychological ADV victimization

8. Differences by other demographic
characteristics
Prevalence generally increased with age
Rates were generally similar for:
 Race
 Ethnicity and
 Income

9. Perpetrators are victims
Adolescents reported both victimization and
perpetration experiences (these experiences
could be in the same or different
relationships):
29% of females
 24% of males


10. Conclusions
ADV experiences are common among
young people.
 Overlaps between victimization and
perpetration, and across different forms of
dating abuse also appear to be typical.
 Efforts to reduce ADV might benefit from
consideration of dynamics within
relationships that may result in nondefensive retaliatory behavior, as well as
the extent to which ADV may occur in
different relationships.
