Teenage Domestic Violence Toward Young Women Can Lead To Homicide According To Study

One of the biggest changes over the last few years has been the birth and growth of the #MeToo Movement, providing victims of abuse the platform to share their stories. However, domestic abuse has remained a common problem and a new report suggests that it’s just as bad or worse among younger women.

The Journal of American Medical Association published a study Monday that highlights the risk domestic violence poses for adolescents.

The study found that more than 2,000 adolescent teens were killed between 2003 and 2016 as a result of domestic abuse, with 150 being killed by current or former intimate partners. Nearly 90 percent of the victims were women, with the average age being 17.

In almost 80 percent of the cases, the perpetrator was found to be at least 18 years old.

"People think that intimate partner violence among adolescents is less serious than among adults. It's important to highlight that this can really lead to death. It's not something to brush off as 'This is just an argument between kids,'" said Avanti Adhia, an epidemiologist at the University of Washington and author of the study.

The study also explored the possible motives for this kind of violence. In 27 percent of the cases, jealousy was found to be a motivating factor in some way. Most common among those, the victim had broken up with the perpetrator or the victim refused to enter a relationship with them.

"The most dangerous situation is when you have a history of poor [emotional] control, hostility, and then they're placed in a high-risk situation, like becoming jealous," said Deborah Capaldi, a developmental psychologist and senior scientist at Oregon Science Learning Center.

This study is supported by a CDC report from 2017 that focused on domestic abuse and violence towards women, which found that nearly half of all women killed in the U.S. are killed by their current or former intimate partner.