Parent Report: Resources for parents about adolescent dating violence

Purpose: Adolescent dating violence has become an increasingly pressing problem. Parents are acknowledged to be key players in preventing and intervening in violence. Peer-reviewed prevention programs have been directed at adolescents, but few materials exist to assist parents with teens involved in violent relationships. Methods: In 2009, online literature searches were performed on peer-reviewed studies, and journals detailing youth violence and health were reviewed. Search terms included “parent”, “dating”, “violence”, "prevention", and “intervention”, with different word combinations. Non-peer-reviewed online searches were performed to identify grey literature using the Google search engine. Organizations with existing teen curricula and youth violence organizations with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Stay Strong initiative were contacted by email. Results: All materials on parental interventions of teen dating violence were recorded on a spreadsheet. This includes materials from contacted organizations and online materials. A total of 5 curricula, 8 handbooks, 13 handouts, 5 videos, and 6 additional materials were identified. Four of the handbooks included a section designed for parents, while the remaining handbooks were specifically for parents. The project revealed a paucity of materials designed for parents and none that were formally evaluated. Few parent curricula were found. Conclusions: Organizations informing and educating parents about teen dating violence were identified. We cannot be sure that all existing materials were found. However, there is a clear need for evaluation of materials designed for parents. This review will inform future researchers and developers, and more parent materials will be made available in the future.