The Prevalence and Risk of Intimate Partner Violence Among Adolescents Across Two-Decades

• In Event: Age and Victimization: Understanding Risk Factors Across the Life-Course

Abstract

Since the 1980s, the United States has dedicated substantial resources to combatting adult intimate partner violence. Early research, while limited, suggested that adolescents were also significantly at risk, especially young women vulnerable to sexual assault by male partners. The 2000 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act brought "dating violence" into focus, leading to a national effort to develop prevention programs targeting physical and sexual violence among adolescents. Despite these efforts, relatively few programs were developed, and their effectiveness has been mixed. A critical unanswered question is whether these national efforts have produced a systemic impact on U.S. adolescents. This study leverages approximately 180,000 surveys of a nationally representative sample of 14- to 18-year-old students, collected bi-annually between 2000 and 2023 by the CDC. The study examines the relationship between the prevalence of IPV and sexual assault over time. It will also investigate if observed changes are linked to shifts in known risk and protective factors, after accounting for demographics.

Authors

• Christopher D. Maxwell, Michigan State University

• Sheila Royo Maxwell, Michigan State University

• Anna-Liisa Mayor, Michigan State University