The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded nearly $900,000 to Kent State researchers for a three-year study titled, “Adolescent Dating Violence: Development of a Theoretical Framework.”

Through interviews with young adults ages 18 to 21, conducted in 12 Northeast Ohio communities, researchers hope to develop a theory about how adolescents get involved in dating violence, why they remain in violent relationships, how they get out of violent relationships, the lasting impact these violent relationships have on their lives, and the community context in which dating violence occurs.

The interviews, involving more than 90 young adults and 20 professionals who work with adolescents, will be conducted in communities with populations ranging from urban to rural.

“The statistics on adolescent dating violence are pretty astounding,” explains principal investigator and Kent State Professor of Nursing Dr. Donna Martsolf.

Results from the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey showed that out of the 15,000 American high school students participating in the survey, nine percent experienced physical victimization, while an additional nine percent experienced sexual victimization in a dating relationship. In addition, the CDC reported in 2006 that 14 percent of Black, nine percent of Hispanic and seven percent of White adolescents experienced some form of dating violence.

Ultimately, the goal of the study is to help prevent interpersonal violence, which is associated with significant healthcare costs and other devastating social consequences, Martsolf says.

The study will be a collaborative effort among Kent State University researchers from the College of Nursing and the Institute for the Study and Prevention of Violence (ISPV), the Summa-Kent State Center for the Treatment and Study of Traumatic Stress, and Summit Medina County Battered Women and Rape Crisis Center.

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Media Contacts:
Dr. Donna Martsolf, College of Nursing, 330-672-8822, dmartsol@kent.edu
Dr. Claire Burke Draucker, College of Nursing, 330-672-8805, cdraucke@kent.edu
Dr. Daniel Flannery, ISPV, 330-672-4711, dflanne1@kent.edu