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Teen dating violence (TDV) is a serious public health problem with numerous negative consequences. The little research existing on parental responses to TDV suggests that parents and other trustworthy adults often do not know how to effectively respond to youths experiencing TDV. We also know little about how youth want their parents to respond or what they might think is helpful. This research examined parents’ and youths’ perspectives on effective parental responses to TDV.
Methods
Seven parent focus groups (n=31) and nine youth focus groups (n=53) were conducted between December, 2013 and June, 2014. Recruited by researchers through a collaborative partner agency, participants were provided TDV scenarios about sexual, physical, and verbal abuse. Parents were asked for their perspective on effective responses to scenarios; youth were similarly asked their perspectives on effective parental responses to the scenarios.
The researchers’ analyzed the focus group data, using NVivo technology, using open and axial coding techniques finding overarching themes describing how parents should ideally react to reports of TDV. The researchers triangulated the coded data to ensure accurate interpretations of the participants’ messages and used the interview guide to structure the coded results.
Findings
Six major recommendations, presented in bold, emerged from 699 parental comments and 872 youth comments. Almost 30% parental comments and 55% of youth comments focused on the importance of parents providing advice to their children. Advice included breaking up, going to police, ignoring or avoiding the abusive partner, and setting boundaries in relationships. About 22% of parental comments and 6% of youth comments focused on the need for parents to communicate with their teens about healthy and unhealthy relationships, asking questions, and exploring how teens were feeling. About 13% of both parental and youth comments reflected the view that parents should confront abuser and/or abusers’ parents. Less than 5% of parents’ comments but nearly 11% of youths’ comments focused on the importance of parents providing comfort and support to their teens. Also, less than 5% of parents’ comments focused on the need for parents to not overreact; however, 25% of youths’ comments reflected this concern. Less than 2% of parents and about 1% of youth noted the need for counseling.
Some parents’ comments indicated a stronger, quicker, angrier and more fearful reaction if a girl experienced TDV than a boy. Younger teens indicated more willingness to take parental advice than older teens. Older teens did not want to be told what to do. Teens cautioned that parents should not go to extremes because they are angry about the TDV situation.
Conclusion and Implications
Results suggest that parents and youth have ideas about effective responses to reports of TDV. However, the delivery of some parental responses may be problematic for teens. More understanding about parental responses to TDV can be used work with teens and parents in developing TDV programming to better illicit effective responses to TDV.