Assessment
An important step in the prevention and intervention of teen dating violence (TDV) is assessing for unhealthy or abusive habits that may be plaguing the relationships of teens you support. Assessment is a process that should be routine and not only engaged in when warning signs surface. Assessing before you notice signs can help you identify and address it before it progresses. Below you will find tips and resources to help as you assess for TDV. As you use the resources below to assess for indications of violence or unhealthy traits in a teen relationship, be sure to involve the teen in the process to familiarize them with the resources and help them understand healthy and unhealthy relationship habits.
Keys to assessing
Any teen and any relationship can involve abuse or unhealthy habits. Abuse can be perpetrated by anyone and can occur in LGBTQ+ relationships as well as heterosexual relationships. In fact, girls, LGBTQ+ youth, and racial minority youth report experiencing TDV at higher rates than their counterparts.​​​​
Any relationship can be abusive or unhealthy
Teens may be unaware that certain relationship traits are unhealthy. They may see these traits as normal parts of relationships or even as signs of love (i.e. extreme jealousy, anger outbursts, phone/social media monitoring, isolation from friends (especially friends of the sex they’re attracted to).
Teens may lack awareness of healthy and unhealthy traits
Physical abuse is only one risk in relationships. Abuse is an imbalance of power and control. However, anything that one partner does (especially repeatedly) that harms the other is unhealthy, whether or not either partner realizes it. Consider things that inhibit autonomy, independence, support, community, or wellbeing..
Physical abuse is not the only risk
Relationship violence and unhealthy traits can be perpetrated by youth that you know, and may even see as “a good kid.” It is important that you understand that relationship abuse can be perpetrated by anyone. Even youth with the best intentions can unintentionally cause harm. Be objective so you can see these behaviors clearly.
Be objective
A relationship may start out as the epitome of a healthy relationship. However, relationships are dynamic and our assessment should be too. Be sure to continuously assess for the health of clients’ relationships to assess for any unhealthy or abusive habits that develop overtime.
Continuously assess
Continue to educate yourself and build your own understanding of TDV so that you can remain updated on warning signs, best practices for interventions, new understandings of youth development, and trends for youth relationships. These all can change overtime.
Use your best judgment
Using Resources to Assess
View these resources with the teen by using the links below or print them out from the resource toolkit.
The Warning Signs document linked above from BreaktheCycle.org lists unhealthy behaviors that teens might experience in their relationships. Some fo these behaviors might seem like "normal" aspects of relationships, and may even be normalized by social media, books, TV shows, and movies. However, they are warning signs that the relationship is unhealthy or abusive. The presence of these warning signs can be an indication that further intervention is needed.
The Relationship Spectrum document linked above from LoveisRespect.org shows the health of relationships from healthy to abusive and the indications of healthy, unhealthy, or abusive relationships. Ideally, we want teens to be experiencing traits on the "Healthy" end of the spectrum. However, if there are indications that they are experiencing traits in the unhealthy or abusive parts of the spectrum, it is an indication that further intervention is needed.
The Teen Power and Control Wheel document linked above from the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence details what violence might look like in various domains of a teen's life. While it is similar to the standard power and control wheel used in domestic violence work, it specifies what dating violence might look like in a teen's life. If a teen is experiencing any of the indications of violence mentioned in this wheel it is an indication that further intervention is needed.
The resources mentioned above and many more can be found in the resource toolkit, linked below
Imagine how much easier it would be
for us to learn how to love
if we began
with a shared definition
~bell hooks
All About Love
The resources and tips above can help you recognize if teens that you support are involved in abusive or unhealthy romantic relationships. You can also provide these resources directly to teens as part of your prevention or intervention efforts. Understanding warning signs, the relationship spectrum, and the power and control wheel can help teens understand what a healthy relationship should and shouldn't look like. These, along with your support, can help them make informed decisions about romantic relationships.
​Now that you understand how to assess for teen dating violence, click below to learn more about preventing teen dating violence and how to use these and other resources as part of your prevention efforts.