WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT: Adolescent dating violence has been studied from the perpetrators' and survivors' perspectives. The risk and protective factors have been explored, and the strength of the association of these factors with adolescent dating violence has been adequately described.
WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS:This study assessed the perceptions and practices of school counselors on adolescent dating violence. Knowing school personnel' s practices and perceptions may help researchers and practitioners gain insights into possible ways to alleviate the problem of dating violence in adolescents. abstract BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Adolescent dating violence (ADV) is a significant public health problem that, according to various estimates, affects 9% to 34% of adolescents in the United States. Schools can play an important role in preventing ADV. However, little is known about school personnel' s practices and perceptions regarding ADV. This study assessed high school counselors' knowledge, training, perceptions, and practices on dealing with ADV incidents.
METHODS:A national random sample (n = 550) of high school counselors who were members of the American School Counselors Association were sent a valid and reliable questionnaire on ADV. A 3-wave mailing procedure was used to increase the response rate, which was 58%. Statistically significant differences (P , .05) were calculated by using t tests, x 2 tests, analysis of variance, and logistic regression.
RESULTS:A majority of the school counselors reported that they did not have a protocol in their schools to respond to an incident of ADV (81.3%). Additionally, the majority (90%) of counselors reported that in the past 2 years, training to assist survivors of teen dating abuse has not been provided to personnel in their schools, their school did not conduct periodic student surveys that include questions on teen dating abuse behaviors (83%), and their school did not have a committee that meets periodically to address health and safety issues that include teen dating abuse (76%).