Deinera Exner-Cortens

Image Credit: University of Calgary/Riley Brandt

New research from the University of Calgary shows teen dating violence is related to higher odds of concussion, the first study of its kind to be published in Canada.

The study, which was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health last month, suggested that youth who reported dating violence also reported the highest odds of concussions in the past year. Teen dating violence is described as physical, sexual, psychological and/or stalking aggression in dating or sexual relationships among adolescents. These behaviours may happen in person between dating partners or electronically and online, such as on social media platforms.

Girls and non-binary youth had a significantly higher risk of concussion if they had experienced dating violence, according to the study.

Deinera Exner-Cortens, an associate professor with the University of Calgary’s psychology department and the paper’s lead researcher, told LiveWire Calgary that there are a lot of studies associating intimate partner violence in adults with traumatic brain injuries but the literature is lacking for teens.

She said a lot of people disregard the importance of teenage relationships because they tend to be young and short.

“I think a lot of people see dating relationships in adolescents as short, which they generally are, and therefore not important. But that part's not true. They do really matter for well-being. They can promote positive well-being but unfortunately, when they include violence and aggression, can be linked to poor outcomes,” Exner-Cortens told LWC in an interview.

“I think there's still a lot of room to grow in terms of awareness and then doing this kind of work.”

Dating violence in Canada

According to data published by Statistics Canada in March, more than 41,057 people aged 15 to 17 years old were survivors of dating violence in Canada between 2009 and 2022. Around 45 per cent of teens surveyed said they experienced dating violence since they turned 15. The rate of police-reported dating violence was about nine times higher for teenage girls than boys.

Among teens who experienced dating violence, all had experienced emotional abuse. Around 10 per cent of teens who self-reported said they had experienced physical violence by a dating partner since they turned 15.

Survivors aged 15 to 17 also had higher rates of sexual violence in dating relationships than other forms of violence (physical abuse, criminal harassment) which is higher than the rate among victims aged 17 to 24 and those aged 25 and older. Statistics Canada said sexual teen dating violence disproportionately impacts girls.

One of the gaps Exner-Cortens identified was the lack of resources for teens experiencing dating violence.

Exner-Cortens said the lack of resources for teen dating violence survivors is especially concerning because they are more at risk for adverse mental health outcomes, including suicidality, depressive symptoms and substance use.

Most survivors also don't access support services for help dealing with the abuse because they felt the incident was too minor or they don't need formal assistance, Statistics Canada said. Instead, 74 per cent of those aged 15 to 18 who had experienced dating violence in the past year said they spoke to someone in their life about it, often a family member.

“Adolescent romantic relationships as a thing in and of themselves weren’t really studied until the late 1990s and so at least academically, people didn’t really take them seriously. I think that, in part, reflects sort of the general public attitudes that maybe [the relationships] don’t have the same sort of commitment as adult relationships, so maybe they don’t matter,” the researcher said.

“Canada's made a lot of strides in the last five-ish years to really start working on dating violence as an issue nationally, but we're just a little bit behind. And so with that comes just we're still in a building awareness phase.”

More support for youth is needed

Exner-Cortens said she hopes the data will expand violence prevention organizations' services. Traditionally, she said, these organizations served adult women but teen dating violence needs to be addressed as well.

“As a teen, it’s really hard to know where to go. I work in this field, and even I would struggle,” she said.

“In Calgary, there are no clear youth-designated locations where you could be referred to if you’re experiencing this.”

One of the ways to prevent teen dating violence is embedding universal resources and support in schools and other locations where youth usually hang out, otherwise known as primary prevention. This includes adding dating violence awareness work within school curriculums and teaching teens about healthy relationships, consent and boundaries.

Adolescence is a key period of identity development for youth because it is when they acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to develop healthy relationships, according to Statistics Canada.

“We’re not doing a perfect job, but there has been significant investment in Canada,” Exner-Cortens said.

Another way to prevent teen dating violence is by establishing more secondary and tertiary prevention programs, Exner-Cortens said. Secondary prevention programs are aimed at youth at higher risk of teen dating violence because they may have experienced child abuse or witnessed family violence at home. Tertiary supports target teens who have experienced dating violence or are experiencing dating violence.

“We really don't have much for kids Who are at higher risk just because of their lived experiences, and we have basically nothing for kids who have experienced it in terms of where they go, what services they want, what would be helpful to help them recover,” the researcher said.

“There's a huge gap in terms of services for where they can go to help heal from the experience and get help. And so I think that's something we really need to work on, both in practice but also in terms of policy and funding research on that kind of work, as well as the provision of services.”

— This story was originally published by LiveWire Calgary

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