Why is this topic so important that it needs a special month to increase awareness? Dating violence among teens and young adults is not a rarity. One in three U.S. teens will experience physical, sexual or emotional abuse from a person who they are in a relationship with before becoming adults. On average, 1 in 10 high school students experienced physical abuse from their dating partner at some point within the past year. Nearly half of U.S. college women report experiencing violent or abusive dating behaviors.

This year’s theme is “Love Like That.” The “that” part of the phrase refers to healthy and positive relationships, as opposed to controlling and abusive situations.

Posts on The Refuge Utah’s social media pages have been providing helpful information about teen dating violence this month. The Refuge Utah, located in Orem, provides a safe and therapeutic environment to assist in the recovery of survivors of domestic violence, rape, sexual assault and stalking.

These posts help to illustrate what comprises a healthy relationship and what comprises an unhealthy relationship. Healthy relationships mean that both partners are communicating, respectful, trusting, honest and equal. They enjoy personal time away from each other, make mutual choices and are financial partners.

Characteristics of unhealthy relationships include not communicating and being disrespectful, distrustful, dishonest and controlling. The partners only spend time together, one is pressured into activities and they are unequal economically.

Abusive relationships are not always easy to spot, especially when they involve teens or young adults. Some signs to watch for include communicating in hurtful ways, mistreatment, untrue accusations about cheating, controlling behavior, isolation of their partner from others and denial that their actions are abuse.

So, what can adults to do to help educate and protect teens and younger adults from teen dating violence and abuse? Here are some tips:

• Establish open habits of communication.
• Show positive relationship examples.
• Watch for signs.
• Talk about the issue with sons as well as daughters.
• Set aside private time to talk with teens.
• Don’t be afraid to have awkward conversations.
• Empathize with the difficulty of relationships.
• Stress that you want what is best for them.

Watching for signs of unhealthy relationships can help parents and other loved ones to know when to step in and help. A few signs that could be causes for concern include:

• Losing interest in things that used to be important.
• Receiving excessive texts and other communications from their boyfriend or girlfriend.
• Isolating from family and friends.
• Getting worried or scared about how a dating partner will react.
• Feeling pressured to do things a certain way.
• Making excuses about a dating partner’s behaviors.
• Friends of a teen do not like the teen’s partner.

For more information, go to 2024 Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month’s website, acf.hhs.gov.