Aims: The goal of this study was to gain understanding of the experiences of young adult women who self-identified as survivors of abuse in an adolescent dating relationship. Specific aims included: discovering participants’ definitions of and responses to abuse in dating relationships, how adolescent girls make meaning out of experiencing dating abuse, and what suggestions survivors of dating abuse have for supporting girls in such relationships.

Theoretical Framework: This study was informed by developmental, relationship, and psychosocial trauma theories. The combination addresses the intersection of adolescent development with relationship processes and experience of abuse by an intimate partner.

Significance: Prevalence estimates of adolescent dating abuse range as high as 37% for physical violence and 86% for verbal aggression. Recent research suggests that lifetime exposure to trauma can have dire consequences for overall health. Studies show that relationships with others are of high priority for young women, and the desire for stability in relationships can drive them to subsume their health. If the relationship in question is between dating partners, fear of losing social status may also be a factor.

Design: Given the dearth of nursing literature on this subject, an interpretive phenomenological design was used to discover the experiences of young women with histories of dating abuse in adolescence. This allowed for generation of primary data on adolescent dating abuse, and specific attention to young women’s construction of narratives of dating abuse experiences.

Method: Women over the age of 18 who self-reported an experience of abuse in a dating relationship during adolescence were eligible for this study. The final sample consisted of 6 participants, ages 18 to 28. Data were collected via semistructured interviews utilizing an open-ended guide developed by the investigator. All were digitally recorded, and transcribed by the author. Following transcription, data were analyzed for common themes and specific narratives identified to establish textural and structural descriptions of abuse in adolescent dating relationships.

Findings: Participants in this study described differing experiences with and in response to dating abuse.  Although all participants gave detailed descriptions of their abusive dating experiences, each also conveyed a sense of uncertainty about aspects of the relationship or her memories thereof. Among this small sample, silence regarding the abuse was an important concern. Even when the abuse became particularly frightening, some women felt that they could not or in some cases should not discuss it with others.

Conclusions: Participants were aware of ways in which social constructions of race, class, gender, and sexuality affected their relationships and influenced their feelings about themselves and others. In this sample, health risks including pregnancy, substance abuse, and social isolation were common. These findings suggest the potential impact of dating abuse on young women’s lives and health.

Implications: Young women experiencing dating abuse may feel disempowered by virtue of their social status as well as by the abuser’s actions. Nursing care of this population must account for the importance of psychosocial context in young women’s lives, and include assessment for risks such as dating abuse.