What is Teenage Relationship Abuse?

Written By Ashlyn Thomison

Teenage Relationship Abuse (TRA) refers to when teens, or young adults experience an abusive relationship partner either mentally, financially, verbally, physically, or sexually. TRA affects approximately 1.5 million high school students and approximately 1 in 3 teens experience violence from their partners.

Statistically, there are elements that can put teens at a higher risk for TRA. When teens have experienced any sort of childhood abuse, witnessing violence at home, and sexual abuse, these teens are more likely to fall into abusive relationships in their teenage years.

Long-Term Effects

Being a victim of domestic violence can lead to multiple different long-term effects like:

  • increased risk of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) '

  • Depression and suicidal thoughts/behaviors

  • internalized views of self-worth

  • Physically injuries

“About 75% of female survivors experience some form of injury related to the domestic violence. In addition to injuries, common physical symptoms include headaches, insomnia, chronic pain, gastrointestinal symptoms, chest, back, and pelvic pain.” (American Psychiatric Association).

Social Implications

As domestic violence is already substancially underreported, we have seen that with teens, the reporting percentage goes down due to social implications and reactions of reporting like:

  • Being seen as a victim by friends and family

  • Struggling to maintain contact with friends and family

  • no proper justice brought by the abuser, which in many cases if they go to school together, the victim will be surrounded by that person on a daily basis.

  • May struggle being at school and being involved in school

Why Does it Go Unreported?

  • Domestic violence and especially teenage relationship violence can be difficult to identify at times, leading to those in positions of power not knowing how or when to help.

  • Victims can fear physical consequences from their abuser after reporting.

  • Protect the ones that they love/offender. Many times even if the victim manages to get out of the situation, to maintain peace and social sanity, the victim will not report the abuse to save not only the victim themselves but the abuser as well.

FBI Statistics

Over a five year study, the FBI reported more than 11,000 domestic violence murder victims, and an additional 1.1 million domestic violence victims. About 75% of these victims were women and girls. In analyzing teenage relationship abuse they found more than 70,500 incidents of TRA in 2024. Now, these numbers are just the reported numbers, and it is thought that the number is larger including the unreported abuse.

Resources:

American Psychiatric Association. “Domestic Violence.” Www.psychiatry.org, 2023, www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/domestic-violence.

“Dating Violence.” Center for Violence Prevention, violence.chop.edu/dating-violence.

Domestic Violence Coordinating Council. “Dynamics of Domestic Violence.” Domestic Violence Coordinating Council (DVCC) - State of Delaware, 2011, dvcc.delaware.gov/background-purpose/dynamics-domestic-abuse/.

“FBI Releases Domestic Violence Special Report | Federal Bureau of Investigation.” Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2026, www.fbi.gov/news/press-releases/fbi-releases-domestic-violence-special-report.

Ashlyn Thomison