Who is at risk for being involved in unhealthy dating relationships?
Low self-esteem is a critical factor. Some teens may feel that having a boyfriend or girlfriend proves their worth to the world, and may even believe that a bad relationship is better than no relationship at all. They are likely to have bought into our cultural mindset that not having a romantic relationship means there is something wrong with you. And it’s not just girls who are at risk: boys, too, can find themselves in harmful relationships. In addition, kids who have grown up without positive role models for healthy relationships have not learned the necessary skills. They may not even realize that there is anything wrong with the way they behave in relationships because they don’t know anything else. They may also feel that there is something wrong within them that make them unworthy of better treatment. What does a healthy relationship look like? Some key elements to focus on when talking with teens about this issue: document.getElementById(‘adsense_placeholder_2’).innerHTML = do
