Schools Don't See Teen Dating Violence as a Priority

Despite research showing up to a third of U.S. teens experience dating violence, a new study finds a majority of high schools don't have procedures or trained staff to deal with the issue.

According to the report published in the journal Pediatrics, some 70 percent of U.S. high school counselors have not received any formal training in teen dating violence.

That's a big problem, the study's lead author said. 

The majority of counselors said their students are taught about healthy relationships and are told to report dating violence if it occurs.Less than half, however, said their schools taught students about dating violence or had information on the topic posted around the school for students if they needed it.

As for protocols, about 81 percent of the counselors said their schools did not have one in place to deal with a dating violence incident. And only about 16 percent said their schools had talked about creating procedures for handling an incident or had plans to implement them.Nearly all counselors - 90 percent - said their schools had not provided training related to adolescent dating violence to staff within the past two years.

To assess the counselors' own knowledge of the topic, the researchers asked them a series of questions about dating violence, about half of which were answered correctly, on average.Nonetheless, 61 percent of the counselors said they had helped a teen who had experienced dating violence in the last two years.

Paige Smith, director of the Center for Women's Health and Wellness at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, said she thinks the results are typical for professionals."You can do this type of survey with nurses and coaches and find very similar results," said Smith, who was not involved in the new study.

School administrators should periodically assess the extent of dating violence in their schools and come up with strategies for dealing with it. Administrators should also familiarize themselves and their staffs with relevant state laws on dating violence and minor consent.

National organizations need to start reaching out to members and start developing policies and protocols, said Khubchandani, who added that there are only limited materials out there now for schools and counselors.

(excerpt from Fox.com/Reuters)

One in Three Victims of Teen Dating Violence Has Had More Than One Abuser

ScienceDaily (Sep. 18, 2012) — More than one-third of young adults who reported being victims of dating violence as teenagers had two or more abusive partners, a new study suggests.

Overall, nearly two-thirds of both men and women reported some type of abuse during their teenage years, which falls in line with other studies.The study involved 271 college students who recalled dating violence -- including physical, sexual and psychological abuse -- from ages 13 to 19.

But it was surprising how many teen victims had two or more abusive partners, said Amy Bonomi, lead author of the study and associate professor of human development and family science at Ohio State University.

"For about one in three teens who were abused, it wasn't just one bad boyfriend or girlfriend. It may have been at least the start of a trend," Bonomi said.

The same patterns were not seen in similar population-based studies of adults, who tend to report abuse by a single partner, she said.

Well more than half of all teen victims reported multiple occurrences of abuse, with roughly 15 percent reporting 20 or more instances of some types of abuse.

"For most teens, dating violence is rarely reported as an isolated incident," said Bonomi, who is also an affiliate with the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle.

The study appears online in the journal BMC Public Health.

Among both males and females, psychological abuse -- such as yelling, swearing, insults, controlling behavior, put-downs and name-calling -- was the most common type of abuse.

One argument that violence researchers often hear is that behaviors like name-calling and insults aren't serious enough to be called abuse. But that's not true, Bonomi said.

"Studies in adults have shown that psychological abuse alone can be damaging to health," she said. She is currently studying whether the same is true for adolescents.

For this study, 271 students aged 21 and under at Ohio State completed a web-based survey about their dating history between ages 13 and 19.

The researchers used a method similar to what is called the timeline follow-back interview, which has been extensively used by researchers to study at-risk behavior such as substance abuse and risky sexual practices. However, this is the first time this type of interview technique has been used to study teen dating violence.

The technique involves asking participants to remember their most recent dating partner and asks questions about that relationship, and then works backward to the previous two relationships. This technique uses memory prompts, such as asking participants to remember the year they were in high school to facilitate recall of the age when a relationship began and ended.

The result showing that more than one-third of teen victims had more than one abusive partner was unexpected, Bonomi said.

"Our studies of adults showed that most women and men had only one abusive partner, so it was startling to find the number of teens who had two or more," she said.

For example, about 43 percent of women said two or more partners had pressured them into sex during their teenage years. About 60 percent of men said they had two or more partners who had sent unwanted calls or text messages.

Psychological abuse was the most common type of abuse reported in the study. The category of "yelling, swearing and insults" was the most frequently reported type of psychological abuse, noted by 43 percent of female victims and 44 percent of males.

Nearly 25 percent of females experienced sexual pressure due to a partner's persistent begging, compared to 11 percent of males. Fewer than 5 percent of women said they were hit or physically harmed, compared to 13 percent of men.

Some types of dating violence tended to occur at earlier ages than others, the study found. For females reporting dating violence, controlling behavior tended to occur early, with 44 percent reporting it between the ages of 13 and 15. For males, 13 to 15 was the most common age range for the first occurrence of put-downs and name-calling (60 percent).

Pressure to have sex was more likely to start at later ages, from 16 to 17 for women.

Bonomi said it was significant that college students were reporting this level of abuse as teens.

"There's a common belief in our society that dating violence only affects low-income and disadvantaged teens. But these results show that even relatively privileged kids, who are on their way to college, can be victims."

The results also call for better education in our elementary schools.

"Many of these kids are getting in relationships early, by the age of 13," Bonomi said. "We need to help them learn about healthy relationships and how to set sexual boundaries. It shouldn't just be one class session -- it needs to be a routine discussion in school."

If you see anything worth sharing in the news or media, please post below. Personal experiences can also be shared anonymously here or by email.

The Story of Teenage Love

JB song "Boyfriend" remake by a fan.  Can you recognize the signs of abuse?

‘Bath salts’ ban could curb use of some legal drugs linked to violent behavior, but not all

By Associated Press, Published: July 25

WASHINGTON — People are inventing so many new ways to get high that lawmakers can’t seem to keep up.

Over the past two years, the U.S. has seen a surge in the use of synthetic drugs made of legal chemicals that mimic the dangerous effects of cocaine, amphetamines and other illegal stimulants.

President Barack Obama signed a bill into law earlier this month that bans the sale, production and possession of more than two dozen of the most common bath salt drugs. But health professionals say lawmakers cannot keep pace with bath salt producers, who constantly adjust their chemical formulations to come up with new synthetic drugs that aren’t covered by new laws. Experts who have studied the problem estimate there are more than 100 different bath salt chemicals in circulation.

“The moment you start to regulate one of them, they’ll come out with a variant that sometimes is even more potent,” said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

There are no back alleys or crack houses in America’s latest drug epidemic. The problem involves potent substances that amateur chemists make, package and sell in stores under brands like “Ivory Wave,” ‘’Vanilla Sky” and “Bliss” for as little as $15. Emergencies related to the drugs have surged: The American Association of Poison Control Centers received more than 6,100 calls about bath salt drugs in 2011 — up from just 304 the year before — and more than 1,700 calls in the first half of 2012.

The problem for lawmakers is that it’s difficult to crack down on the drugs. U.S. laws prohibit the sale or possession of all substances that mimic illegal drugs, but only if federal prosecutors can show that they are intended for human use. People who make bath salts and similar drugs work around this by printing “not for human consumption” on virtually every packet.

Barbara Carreno, a spokeswoman for the Drug Enforcement Agency, said the intended use for bath salts is clear.“Everyone knows these are drugs to get high, including the sellers,” she said.

Many states have banned some of the most common bath salts, which are typically sold by small businesses like convenience stores, tobacco shops and adult book stores. For instance, West Virginia legislators banned the bath salt drug MDPV last year, making it a misdemeanor to sell, buy or possess the synthetic drug. Conviction means up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

THE SPREAD

The most common bath salt drugs, like MDPV and mephedrone, were first developed in pharmaceutical research laboratories, though they were never approved for medical use. During the last decade they became popular as party drugs at European raves and dance clubs. As law enforcement began cracking down on the problem there, the drugs spread across the Atlantic Ocean.

The widespread availability of the drugs in stores is equally alluring for drug users: they can get a cheap high similar to that of illegal drugs by walking to a corner store.

The most dangerous synthetic drugs are stimulants that affect levels of both dopamine and serotonin, brain chemicals that affect mood and perception. Users, who typically smoke or snort the powder-based drugs, may experience a surge in energy, fever and delusions of invincibility and therefore are likely to be linked to violent behavior.

International Award !

Students’ PSA Video Wins Telly Award

Premiere Media and M.A.S.K. Theater from Montgomery High School teamed to produce a Public Service Announcement video to warn young people about the Signs of Abuse

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ – July, 2012 – The Telly Awards has named Premiere Media as a Bronze winner in the 33^rd Annual Telly Awards for their piece titled Know the Signs of Abuse.  With nearly 11,000 entries from all 50 states and numerous countries, this is truly an honor.

In August, 2011, students from Montgomery High School formed a group called M.A.S.K. Theater (Montgomery Advocates for Solidarity and Kindness.)  One of the first projects they worked on was creating a Public Service Announcement (PSA) to enter in a contest sponsored by Leadership Somerset.  The video was a message to students, “Know the Signs of Abuse” and was intended to help the Resource Center of Somerset reach young people of dating age to help them avoid becoming involved in an abusive relationship.  The group worked closely with the Resource Center of Somerset to promote the message.

The video won the Grand Prize at the 2011 Somey Awards presented by Allstate New Jersey Insurance, Advanced Solar Products, Ethicon, Raritan Valley Coummunity College and The Somerset Patriots.  Their original video was recorded by using a cell phone video cam.  When word came that the winning video was going to be premiered on the jumbo screen at TD Bank Ballpark at a Somerset Patriots home game, Resource Center Director of Marketing and Public Relations Anthony Winchatz reached out to Caz Bielen of Premiere Media to see if the short video could be redone in high definition.  Caz was quite excited to help.  Part of his personal mission is to use his communication talents to help others through community service.

Know the Signs of Abuse won a 2012 Bronze Award in the Non-Broadcast Productions – Social Issues category.  This is the third Telly Award presented to Premiere Media.  Caz previously won a Silver and a Bronze Award in 2006 and 2008.

The Telly Awards was founded in 1979 and is the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, the finest video and film productions, and online commercials, video and films.  Winners represent the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, and corporate video departments in the world.

A prestigious judging panel of over 500 accomplished industry professionals, each a past winner of a Silver Telly and a member of The Silver Telly Council, judged the competition, upholding the historical standard of excellence that Telly represents.  The Silver Council evaluated entries to recognize distinction in creative work – entries do not compete against each other – rather entries are judged against a high standard of merit.  Less than 10% of entries are chosen as Winners of the Silver Telly, our highest honor.  Approximately 25% of entries are chosen as Winners of the Bronze Telly.

The award winning video can be seen on