Teaching Teens About the Different Types of Abusive Relationships

You probably recognize that abusive relationships are not just the ones in which one partner has bruises inflicted by the other partner. However, your teen might not yet have figured out that physical violence is not the only type of abusive relationship. In an effort to ensure that your teen knows when it̵7;s time to get out of a relationship, she needs to know exactly how she can be abused by a partner in a relationship.

  1. Physical Abuse

    • Physical abuse is probably the most well-known form of abuse. According to PBS.org, 1 in 3 teens has or had a friend in a physically abusive relationship. Physical abuse is considered any type of purposeful physical contact that harms another person. For example, hitting, biting, slapping, punching, kicking and choking are common types of physical violence. It̵7;s important that your teen knows that just because she cannot see the marks on another person doesn̵7;t mean they aren̵7;t there. Many abusers are good at harming their victims in places that aren̵7;t easily seen by others.

    Emotional Abuse

    • According to KidsHealth, emotional abuse is a difficult form of abuse to detect. Unless your teen hears someone being emotionally abused by her partner, it might be impossible to tell when someone is being emotionally abused. When someone belittles someone, calls them names, tells them they are stupid, ridicules them, teases them hurtfully, bullies them or humiliates them, it̵7;s considered emotional abuse.

    Sexual Abuse

    • When one partner ignores another partner's refusal to engage in any type of sexual act, whether it is kissing or sexual intercourse, it is considered sexual abuse, according to KidsHealth. Your teen probably knows what rape is, but she might not know that it is still considered rape if her boyfriend or future husband forces her to have sex or engage in sexual relations without her consent.

    It̵7;ll Never Happen Again

    • According to PBS, when an abusive partner tries to apologize or make up for abusing his partner, it is called the honeymoon phase. The abuser might swear that the abuse will never happen again. He might apologize for calling his partner a name or humiliating her. He might claim he thought she was joking when she said she didn̵7;t want to go any further sexually or he might try to blame his behavior on an outside source such as drugs or alcohol. Your teen needs to know that it probably will happen again.

    2. Previous:

    Next:

    • When To Let Your Teenager Start Dating
      Dating customs have changed since you were a teenager. The most striking difference is the young age at which children now begin dating: on average, twelve and a half for girls, and thirteen and a half for boys.However, you might not recognize it as
    • How to Help Slow Learners in the Mainstream Classroom
      As a parent, there isnt a thing much more heartbreaking than watching your child struggle in school. If your child is a slow learner, chances are he has a learning disability and needs a bit of help to survive in the mainstream classroom.
    • How to Get Into Leon M. Goldstein High School
      Enrolling in Leon M. Goldstein High School is part of an admission process. Students entering any high school work with their parents and guidance counselor to research high school options and apply to the programs with the greatest interest to them.