Amy Sykes Oxford Brooks Univiersity

1. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT
TEENAGE INTIMATE PARTNER ABUSE?

2. IN THEIR WORDS
Gwen, ‘She would cry and cry …’
(Ismail et al., 2007, p.464)
Trisha, ‘I couldn’t share that with anybody…’
(Toscano, 2007, p.8)
Nicole, ‘I thought he loved me so much…’
(Ismail et al., 2007, p.467)

3. WHAT WE KNOW
The highest prevalence of intimate partner abuse occurs in
teenage relationships.
(Smith, K., 2011)
Research by the NSPCC with girls aged 13-17
33% have experienced sexual abuse.
25% have experienced physical abuse.
75% have experienced emotional abuse.
Teenage intimate partner abuse ‘…should be viewed as a
significant child-welfare problem’.
(Barter et al., 2009, p.4; Wood et al., 2011, p.106)

4. WHAT ARE THE DYNAMICS THAT
SHAPE AND SUSTAIN TEENAGE
INTIMATE PARTNER ABUSE?

5. METHODS
Database Search
Search Terms Database Number of
peer
reviewed
articles
Number of
duplicate
articles
Total number of
relevant articles
Total
number of
articles
(‘Dating violence’) or (‘Teen*
Partner Abuse’) or
(‘Adolescent* Dating
Violence’) or (‘Teen* Dating
Violence’) or (‘Dating
Aggression’) and (‘Teen*’ or
‘Adolescent*’)
AND
Qualitative or perception* or
interview
Academic
Search
Complete
70 0 18 20
ASSIA 35 29 8
(1 new)
Social
Services
Abstracts
33 26 9
(1 new)
ProQuest
health &
medical
complete
results
45 33 7
(0 new)

6. • Girls as status symbol
• Girls submissive to their domineering boyfriends
• An abusive relationship is preferable to no relationship at all
• Girls do expect respect
• Gendered double standards
FINDINGS:
1) GENDER INEQUALITY

7. • A couple’s co-identity is expressed to the audience of the
peer group
• Boys feel pressurised to have a sexual experience
• Girls are pressured to have a monogamous dating
relationship, leading to girls entering sexual relationships
prematurely
• All maintained through fear
FINDINGS:
2) CENTRALITY OF THE PEER GROUP

8. • Subtle abuse is tolerated
• Boys state that only boys who are ‘lame’ or ‘can’t get a girl’
would perpetrate sexual abuse
• Subtle forms of sexual coercion are acceptable
• Blurred distinction between love and control
• Policing of behaviour and clothes
• Abuse is tolerated for the sake of the relationship
FINDINGS:
3) NORMALISATION OF ABUSE

9. • Boys aren’t responsible for abuse
• Girls are responsible
• Abuse is explained away through individualised
explanations
FINDINGS:
4) DISSEMINATION OF RESPONSIBILITY

10. AN EXAMPLE

11. ANN’S STORY
‘I ended up having an abortion which I regretted. And I
had to have counselling after because I couldn’t get
over it because that is what he wanted so I did what he
wanted but I so regretted it after, yeah.’
(Barter et al., 2009, p.129).

12. WHAT ARE THE DYNAMICS THAT
SHAPE AND SUSTAIN TEENAGE
INTIMATE PARTNER ABUSE?

13. IN GWEN’S WORDS
‘I think that if I had the support and love that I needed at
that time, I wouldn’t have been in that situation. I turned to
my boyfriend for support because I felt like I had nothing
else. I can’t believe what I went through…I can’t believe
what he made me become... I had no choice…’
(Ismail et al., 2007, p.469).
I had no choice…

14. Amy Sykes
amysusannasykes@gmail.com
I’m here all week folks…!

15. REFERENCES
Ashley C. (ed.) Contributions by: Roskill, C., Fraser, C., Featherstone, B., Haresnape, S.,
and Lindley, B. (2011). Working with risky fathers: Fathers Matter Volume 3: Research
findings on working with domestically abusive fathers and their involvement with
children’s social care services. Family Rights Group. Available at:
http://www.frg.org.uk/involving-families/fathers (Accessed: 30th March 2015).
Barter, C. (2009). In the name of love: exploitation and violence in teenage dating
relationships. British Journal of Social Work (39), pp.211–233.
Barter, C., McCarry, M., Berridge, D. and Evans, K. (2009). Partner exploitation and
violence in teenage intimate relationships. Available at:
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/research/findings/partner_exploitation_and_violence_re
port_wdf70129.pdf (Accessed: 30th March 2015).
Blakemore, Sarah-Jayne (2012). The Adolescent Brain. Edge. Available at:
https://edge.org/conversation/the-adolescent-brain (Accessed: 30th March 2015).

16. REFERENCES
Department of Health (2005) Responding to domestic abuse (London: DH)
http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/documents/digit
alasset/dh_4126619.pdf
Featherstone, B. and Fraser, C. (2012). Working with Fathers around Domestic Violence:
Contemporary Debates. Child Abuse Review. 21 (4), pp.255-263.
Hird, M. J. (2000). An empirical study of adolescent dating aggression. Journal of
Adolescence. 23 (1), pp.69–78.
Home Office (2013). Information for Local Areas on the change to the Definition of
Domestic Violence and Abuse. Available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/142701/
guide-on-definition-of-dv.pdf (Accessed: 30th March 2015).

17. REFERENCES
Ismail, F., Berman, H., Ward-Griffin, C. (2007) Dating Violence and the Health of Young
Women: A Feminist Narrative Study. Health Care for Women International. 28 (5), pp.453-
477.
Martinson, J. (2013). Why is Beyoncé calling herself Mrs Carter? The Guardian.
Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-janemartinson/
2013/feb/05/beyonce-calling-herself-mrs-carter (Accessed: 30th March 2015).
Smith, K. (ed.), Coleman, K., Eder, S. and Hall, P. (2011). Homicides, Firearm Offences
and Intimate Violence 2009/10. Home Office Statistical Bulletin 09/10. London: Home
Office. Available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/116512/h
osb0111.pdf (Accessed: 30th March 2015)
Toscano, S. E. (2007). A grounded theory of female adolescents' dating experiences
andfactors influencing safety: the dynamics of the Circle. BMC Nursing. 6, pp.7-18.

18. REFERENCES
Unicef (2007). Report card 7. Child poverty in perspective: an overview of child wellbeing
in rich countries. Available at: http://www.unicefirc.
org/publications/pdf/rc7_eng.pdf (Accessed: 30th March 2015).
Unicef (2011). Child Well-Being in the U.K., Spain and Sweden: The Role of Inequality
and Materialism. Available at:
http://www.unicef.org.uk/Documents/Publications/UNICEFIpsosMori_childwellbeing_rep
ortsummary.pdf (Accessed: 30th March 2015).
Unicef (2013). Unicef report reveals a generation of UK teens ignored by the government.
Available at: http://www.unicef.org.uk/latest/news/report-card-11-child-wellbeing-ukteens-
ignored-by-government/ (Accessed: 30th March 2015).
Walby, S. and Allen, J. (2004), Domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking: Findings
from the British Crime Survey. London: Home Office).

19. REFERENCES
Wood, M., Barter, C. and Berridge, D. (2011). ‘Standing on my own two feet’:
Disadvantaged Teenagers, Intimate Partner Violence and Coercive Control. Available at:
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/Inform/research/findings/standing_own_two_feet_PDF_wdf845
57.pdf (Accessed: 30th March 2015).

20. FURTHER READING
Allen, J. P. and Manning, N. (2007). From safety to affect regulation: attachment from the
vantage point of adolescence. In: Scharf, M. and Mayseless, O. (eds.) Attachment in
adolescence: reflections and new angles. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, pp.23-39.
Benwell, B. and Stokoe, E. (2006). Discourse and Identity. Edinburgh: Edinburgh
University Press.
Blakemore, S-J and Frith, U (2005). The Learning Brain: Lessons for Education. Oxford:
Blackwell publishing.
Carlson, R. G. and Jones, K. D. (2010). Continuum of Conflict and Control: A
Conceptualization of Intimate Partner Violence Typologies. The Family Journal:
Counselling and Therapy for Couples and Families 18 (3), pp.248-254.
Chung, D. (2007) Making Meaning of Relationships. Violence Against Women. 13 (12),
pp.1274-1295.
Dar, A (2013). Domestic violence statistics. Available at: www.parliament.uk (accessed
17/03/2015).

21. FURTHER READING
Dominelli, L. (2002). Feminist Social Work Theory and Practice. Basingstoke: Palgrave
MacMillan.
Moran, C. (2011). How to be a woman. London: Random House.
Safe Lives (2015). Latest data from the Young People’s Programme. Available at:
http://www.safelives.org.uk/practice-support/resources-frontline-domestic-abuse-workers-
and-idvas/resources-ypvas/latest-data (Accessed: 30th March 2015).
Stokoe, E. (2013). Applying findings and creating impact from conversation analytic
studies of gender and communication. Economic and Industrial Democracy. 34 (3). (3) ,
pp.1-16.
Women’s Aid (2013). Women’s aid until women & children are safe. Available at:
http://www.womensaid.org.uk/default.asp (Accessed: 30th March 2015)