One-fourth of teens experience some form of abuse in a sexual relationship

Among teens who have had sex, one-quarter of those relationships include some form of abuse, with nearly one in 10 teens reporting physical abuse within their relationships, according to a study by Child Trends released Aug. 7.

The study also found that one-fourth of teens who have had sex reported having sex with their first partner only once.

One-fourth of teenagers who have had sex reported that verbal abuse such as name-calling, insults, threats of violence and disrespectful treatment occurred within their first sexual relationship, the Child Trends study noted. Nine percent reported physical abuse, and 7 percent reported both physical and verbal abuse.

In other findings, Child Trends reported that a majority of teen viewed their first sexual relationship as more than a casual fling, 85 percent of teens defining their first sexual relationships as romantic involvements and 61 percent having begun sex within three months of the start of a romantic relationship.

Teen girls were more likely to have older partners, the study found.

Among sexually active teens, half of girls reported that their first sexual partner was at least two years older. Nearly one in five girls had a partner who was four or more years older.

Founded in 1979, Child Trends is a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, D.C., and dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing science based information to improve the decisions, programs and policies that affect children.

(BP)