While we often imagine dating as a magical time of first love and butterflies, the shocking reality is that dating abuse is a silent epidemic, with one in three teens and young adults experiencing some form of abuse from a partner.
Key Takeaways
- 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner sexual violence, and/or intimate partner stalking
- 48.4% of college women and 45.1% of college men report experiencing some form of dating violence
- About 1 in 5 U.S. high school students report being physically hurt by a boyfriend or girlfriend in the past year
- Adolescent girls aged 11-14 are most likely to be physically abused by a dating partner
- Women ages 18-24 are at highest risk for dating violence
- Black youth are 1.5 times more likely to experience teen dating violence than white youth
- 18% of perpetrators in teen dating violence are male aged 18-21
- 70% of perpetrators use alcohol or drugs during abusive incidents
- Male perpetrators commit 85% of physical dating violence acts
- 52% of physical abuse is slapping/pushing
- 25% of dating violence involves sexual coercion
- Emotional abuse affects 70% of teens in relationships
- Dating abuse victims 2-4x more likely to attempt suicide
- 50% of homicide victims aged 15-44 killed by intimate partners
- Victims miss 8 million work/school days annually due to abuse
Dating abuse is alarmingly common and severe across all age groups.
Consequences and Outcomes
- Dating abuse victims 2-4x more likely to attempt suicide
- 50% of homicide victims aged 15-44 killed by intimate partners
- Victims miss 8 million work/school days annually due to abuse
- 37% of victims develop PTSD from dating violence
- Abused teens 2x more likely to carry weapons to school
- 70% of mental health issues linked to dating abuse history
- Victims 3x more likely to use illicit drugs
- 20-50% of female homicide victims killed by current/former partners
- Abused girls 4x more likely to become pregnant as teens
- 35% of victims report chronic health problems
- Dating violence linked to 2x higher obesity rates
- Victims 1.5x more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors
- 40% of victims drop out of school/college
- Long-term depression in 60% of survivors
- Abused youth 3x higher homelessness risk
- 25% increased STD rates among victims
- Victims face 2x higher anxiety disorders
- 15% of victims hospitalized from injuries
- Economic cost $8.3 billion annually from intimate partner violence
- Survivors 80% more likely to abuse alcohol
- Child witnesses to dating abuse 50% more violent later
- 30% lower academic performance in victims
- Victims 4x more suicide attempts
- 22% of victims develop eating disorders
- Long-term pain syndromes in 45% survivors
- Victims 2.5x more likely to be revictimized
- 50% increased healthcare costs for survivors
- Abused LGBTQ youth 2x higher depression/suicide
- 18% of victims report self-harm behaviors
- Decreased self-esteem persists 5+ years post-abuse
Consequences and Outcomes Interpretation
The brutal arithmetic of dating abuse reveals a profound human cost, where violence in youth doesn't merely leave emotional scars but physically rewires lives, creating a devastating legacy of trauma, lost potential, and chronic suffering that ripples across generations.
Perpetrator Characteristics
- 18% of perpetrators in teen dating violence are male aged 18-21
- 70% of perpetrators use alcohol or drugs during abusive incidents
- Male perpetrators commit 85% of physical dating violence acts
- Perpetrators with prior arrest history are 4x more likely to abuse
- 50% of male perpetrators experienced childhood abuse themselves
- Jealousy motivates 60% of teen dating violence perpetrators
- 30% of perpetrators are repeat offenders in dating relationships
- Perpetrators aged 18-24 commit 40% of campus dating assaults
- 65% of perpetrators exhibit controlling behaviors early in relationships
- Male athletes are 3x more likely to perpetrate dating violence
- 25% of perpetrators have mental health issues like depression
- Fraternity members perpetrate 2x more sexual assaults in dating
- 40% of perpetrators use social media for stalking/harassment
- Perpetrators from low SES backgrounds 1.8x more likely
- 55% of perpetrators witnessed parental violence
- LGBTQ male perpetrators show higher rates of physical violence
- 35% of perpetrators have anger management issues
- Repeat perpetrators escalate to severe violence in 70% cases
- 20% of perpetrators are female in mutual violence cases
- Perpetrators with high machismo attitudes 2.5x more abusive
- 45% of campus perpetrators knew victim through dating apps
- Military-affiliated males perpetrate 1.5x higher rates
- 28% of perpetrators have substance abuse disorders
- Immigrant perpetrators use cultural isolation tactics more
- 60% of perpetrators deny or minimize their abusive behavior
- Perpetrators in rural areas use firearms 2x more
- 15% of perpetrators have prior DV convictions
- Online gamers as perpetrators show higher cyber abuse
Perpetrator Characteristics Interpretation
This disturbing constellation of statistics reveals that dating abuse is not a series of isolated acts by random bad apples, but a cultivated pattern of power, often rooted in toxic masculinity, past trauma, and substance abuse, where perpetrators systematically weaponize jealousy, control, and intimidation to trap their victims.
Prevalence
- 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner sexual violence, and/or intimate partner stalking
- 48.4% of college women and 45.1% of college men report experiencing some form of dating violence
- About 1 in 5 U.S. high school students report being physically hurt by a boyfriend or girlfriend in the past year
- 43% of dating college women report experiencing violent acts including hitting, shoving, slapping, kicking, and choking
- 1 in 3 teens experience some type of abuse from a dating partner
- 26% of women and 10% of men report experiencing dating violence by their partner
- 35% of high school students experienced forced sex or emotional abuse in dating relationships
- 10% of high school students report physical dating violence victimization
- 11% of adolescents report being physically hurt by a dating partner
- 21% of U.S. students reported experiencing physical dating violence
- 57.1% of college students report at least one instance of verbal aggression in dating
- 12% of female and 7% of male high school students report physical dating violence
- 1 in 10 high school students has been purposefully hit, slapped, or physically hurt by a boyfriend/girlfriend
- 25% of adolescents have experienced dating violence by age 18
- 40% of girls aged 14 to 17 know someone dating someone who gets hit
- 80% of high school students who experienced dating violence also experienced cyber dating abuse
- 15% of teens who have been on a date experienced violence
- 33% of teens report abusive dating behaviors
- 1 in 3 young adults aged 18-24 experience dating abuse
- 41% of teens experienced some form of dating violence
- 23% of females and 14% of males report sexual dating violence
- 9% of high school girls and 5% of boys report sexual dating violence
- 20.5% of female college students experienced nonconsensual sexual contact
- 27% of college women experienced some form of unwanted sexual contact
- 55% of college students know someone abused by a partner
- 1 in 6 undergraduate women experience attempted or completed rape
- 13% of all college students report non-consensual sexual contact
- 42% of dating college students report psychologically aggressive acts
- 30% of adults report dating violence before age 18
- 72% of college students have experienced at least one form of psychological abuse
Prevalence Interpretation
If these statistics were an epidemic—and make no mistake, they are—we’d be scrambling for a cure, because the alarming truth is that love is statistically more dangerous for a shockingly high number of people than it has any right to be.
Types of Abuse
- 52% of physical abuse is slapping/pushing
- 25% of dating violence involves sexual coercion
- Emotional abuse affects 70% of teens in relationships
- 15% experience choking/strangulation in teen dating
- Cyber dating abuse reported by 25% of teens
- 10% of high school students report forced sex by partner
- Stalking occurs in 16% of college dating relationships
- Verbal aggression in 99% of abusive relationships
- 8% report injury-requiring medical treatment from physical abuse
- Psychological control tactics used by 60% perpetrators
- 20% experience economic abuse like controlling money
- Digital abuse via monitoring phones in 38% cases
- 12% report being hit with object or weapon
- Humiliation/public shaming in 45% emotional abuse
- 5% of teen dating violence involves threats of harm
- Isolation from friends/family in 50% abusive relationships
- 18% experience unwanted kissing/touching
- Revenge porn shared by ex-partners in 7% cases
- 30% report gaslighting/manipulation tactics
- Physical pushing/shoving in 35% incidents
- 22% sexual violence via pressure or force
- Name-calling/insults daily in 40% emotional abuse
- 9% report broken bones from dating violence
- Harassment via texts/calls in 57% cyber cases
- Coercion to send nudes in 25% teen relationships
- 14% experience hair pulling/slapping
- Blaming victim for abuse in 65% psychological cases
- 6% involve sexual assault with drugs/alcohol
- Excessive jealousy accusations in 75% abusive dynamics
- 11% report property destruction by partner
- Minimizing feelings as abuse tactic in 55%
Types of Abuse Interpretation
If you stacked these horrifying statistics like bricks, you'd build a towering monument to the grim reality that teen dating, which should be about awkward firsts and butterflies, is often instead a crash course in the many dark and escalating ways a partner can become a prison warden.
Victim Demographics
- Adolescent girls aged 11-14 are most likely to be physically abused by a dating partner
- Women ages 18-24 are at highest risk for dating violence
- Black youth are 1.5 times more likely to experience teen dating violence than white youth
- 1 in 5 female high school students reports being physically and/or sexually abused
- LGBTQ youth experience dating violence at rates 2-3 times higher than peers
- Hispanic teens report higher rates of physical dating violence (16%) than non-Hispanic whites (8%)
- Females aged 16-24 experience the highest rate of intimate partner violence
- 70% of sexual assault victims are under age 30
- College women are 3 times more likely to experience sexual assault from an intimate partner
- 89% of female victims of stalking knew their stalker as a current or former intimate partner
- Teens aged 13-15 report higher emotional abuse rates (up to 40%)
- Rural youth experience dating violence at rates 20% higher than urban youth
- 60% of raped girls occur before age 16 by a dating partner
- Low-income teens have 2x higher dating violence rates
- Asian American college women report lower physical but higher psychological abuse
- 25% of pregnant teens experience dating violence
- Disabled youth experience dating violence at 1.5x the rate of non-disabled
- 1 in 3 Native American women experience violence by an intimate partner
- Transgender youth report 2x higher dating violence victimization
- 35% of bisexual women experience intimate partner violence
- Older teens (16-19) have higher physical abuse rates (13%) than younger
- White college students report higher cyber abuse (25%)
- 50% of homeless youth experienced dating violence
- Immigrant teen girls face higher coercive control
- 28% of male victims are aged 18-24
- Foster care youth experience 3x dating violence rates
- 40% of female athletes in college report dating abuse
- Male college students from fraternities report 15% higher abuse
- 22% of Latinx high school girls report physical hurt by partner
- Females with disabilities report 2x sexual violence in dating
Victim Demographics Interpretation
This grim roll call proves that dating violence isn't a singular monster but a hydra, adapting its cruelty to exploit every vulnerability, from age and identity to zip code.
Sources & References
- Reference 1CDCcdc.govVisit source
- Reference 2LOVEISRESPECTloveisrespect.orgVisit source
- Reference 3NCADVncadv.orgVisit source
- Reference 4THEHOTLINEthehotline.orgVisit source
- Reference 5NSVRCnsvrc.orgVisit source
- Reference 6JAMANETWORKjamanetwork.comVisit source
- Reference 7NCBIncbi.nlm.nih.govVisit source
- Reference 8TANDFONLINEtandfonline.comVisit source
- Reference 9THORNthorn.orgVisit source
- Reference 10CYBERBULLYINGcyberbullying.orgVisit source
- Reference 11PEWRESEARCHpewresearch.orgVisit source
- Reference 12FUTURESWITHOUTVIOLENCEfutureswithoutviolence.orgVisit source
- Reference 13JAHONLINEjahonline.orgVisit source
- Reference 14AAUaau.eduVisit source
- Reference 15BUbu.eduVisit source
- Reference 16WHITEHOUSEwhitehouse.govVisit source
- Reference 17PSYCNETpsycnet.apa.orgVisit source
- Reference 18JOURNALSjournals.sagepub.comVisit source
- Reference 19HRChrc.orgVisit source
- Reference 20BJSbjs.ojp.govVisit source
- Reference 21RAINNrainn.orgVisit source
- Reference 22RURALHEALTHINFOruralhealthinfo.orgVisit source
- Reference 23ACOGacog.orgVisit source
- Reference 24NCDncd.govVisit source
- Reference 25NCAIncai.orgVisit source
- Reference 26TRANSEQUALITYtransequality.orgVisit source
- Reference 27NCFHncfh.orgVisit source
- Reference 28CHILDWELFAREchildwelfare.govVisit source
- Reference 29NCAAncaa.orgVisit source
- Reference 30AAPaap.orgVisit source
- Reference 31NIJnij.ojp.govVisit source
- Reference 32OJPojp.govVisit source
- Reference 33CLERYCENTERclerycenter.orgVisit source
- Reference 34ENDRAPEONCAMPUSendrapeoncampus.orgVisit source
- Reference 35VAva.govVisit source
- Reference 36NIAAAniaaa.nih.govVisit source
- Reference 37STALKINGAWARENESSstalkingawareness.orgVisit source
- Reference 38PSYCHOLOGYTODAYpsychologytoday.comVisit source
- Reference 39WHOwho.intVisit source
- Reference 40PTSDptsd.va.govVisit source
- Reference 41NAMInami.orgVisit source
- Reference 42GUTTMACHERguttmacher.orgVisit source
- Reference 43NIMHnimh.nih.govVisit source
- Reference 44NATIONALEATINGDISORDERSnationaleatingdisorders.orgVisit source