Teens in Dangerous Relationships

The APA carries a report highlighting the risks to teens of abusive relationships, with many cases going unreported, according to a February 2005 study conducted by Northbrook, Ill.,-based Teen Research Unlimited.

The article points out:

“The jealousy, controlling and isolation can feel like love,” says Karen Loving-Bourland, counseling service manager for Women Escaping a Violent Environment in Sacramento. She warns that it’s important for teens to understand that “jealousy has nothing to do with love. It’s a sign of insecurity and possessiveness.” Dating violence shows up as physical, emotional or sexual abuse, and many teens are shocked when they realize that the traits of an abusive relationship sound a little too familiar. “I hear them say, ‘Oh my God, that’s so-and-so,’ ” says Jimena Vasquez, an attorney from Break the Cycle, a nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles, which works to educate teens about dating and domestic violence. The relationship might be their first one, so they don’t have anything to compare it against, Vasquez says. Although experts warn that dating violence can happen to a person of either gender or any sexual preference, girls and women in heterosexual relationships ages 16 to 24 are most likely to experience dating or domestic abuse, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The article continues with a list of signs to watch out for — which may sound eerily familiar to those who have read our recent article “The Mystery of Loving an Abuser” or who have read through the contribution from Dr. Joseph Carver on the subject.