The Evidence Hour: Help-Seeking Intentions and Behaviors Among Diverse Youth

Teen dating violence (TDV) affects millions of youths in the United States and globally each year. TDV has been associated with negative physical health and mental health outcomes. Yet, the prevalence of help-seeking among youth who have experience TDV is fairly low. Youth from diverse racial and ethnic groups are particularly vulnerable to TDV victimization, but are still underrepresented in TDV research. While the past decade has witnessed an increased interest from researchers to understand how the phenomenon of TDV manifests among ethnically and racially diverse populations, there is still a gap in the literature that explores the racial and ethnic differences in the help-seeking intentions and behaviors of youth.

Objectives:
• To assess the state of the empirical literature on dating violence and help-seeking intentions and behaviors among racially
and ethnically diverse youth between the ages of 12 and 19.
• To examine the research gaps that remain in the scientific literature.
• To discuss promising actions that researchers, practitioners and advocates can take to fill those gaps and advance science and practice in the field of TDV.

Presenters:
Diana M. Padilla-Medina, PhD, LMSW, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington School of Social Work. She is also a 2018-2019 Fulbright Scholar. Diana’s current research work focuses on sexual and intimate partner violence among adolescents and adults, particularly among Latinos.

Carolina Vélez-Grau, PhD, LCSW, is a Provost’s Postdoctoral Fellow/Assistant Professor at the NYU Silver School of Social Work. Her research focuses on suicide prevention and access to mental health services among ethnocultural minoritized youth, particularly Latinx and Black teens.


Related Resources: https://victimresearch.org/library/th...