Office of Adolescent Health News

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National Teen Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention Month: #TDVAM

During the month of February, we invite you to join the Office of Adolescent Health and the Department of Health and Human Services in recognizing National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month.

Dating violence includes physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, and millions of teen have been affected. In fact, by the time they reach young adulthood, about four in 10 adolescents (both male and female) report experiencing physical or sexual dating violence. 

This abuse can impact youth for the rest of their lives – compared to their peers that have not experienced dating violence, abused teens are more likely to:

  • Become pregnant;
  • Have lower self-esteem and poorer emotional well-being;
  • Have suicidal thoughts and attempts; and
  • Have eating disorders.

To spread awareness about dating violence among adolescents, OAH will lead a Twitter effort throughout the month of February from @TeenHealthGov. We will share key statistics on teen dating violence; helpful resources for teens, their families, and the practitioners who work with them; and promising approaches and practices in the field of dating violence awareness and prevention.

We also want to hear from you! We encourage you to share your story about how you or someone you know has been affected by teen dating violence, and/or resources that help someone to recover from a dating violence experience. Share on Twitter with the hashtag #TDVAM. Again, you can find us on Twitter at: @TeenHealthGov.

Go to @TeenHealthGov, and let’s get started!