Community Solutions to Sexual and Domestic Violence: VIRGINIA

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TEEN GIRLS IN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIPS AT HIGHER HEALTH RISK

RICHMOND - Recent numbers show as many as 65 percent of teenage girls are in an abusive relationship. Many effects can last with them their whole lives.

Caitlin Shiflett is an intimate partner violence and sexual assault advocate at VCU Medical Center. "It's more difficult for them to recognize the red flags," she says. "So a lot of what they experience they question themselves if it's abuse."

Two or three times a week she sees a teen or young woman at the hospital and some have been physically abused. But in this age group, Shiflett says more often there's stalking on social media or threatening phone calls that damage the mind and spirit.

Doctor Candace Burton says excessive stress damages the body too. "We're seeing a lot of chronic illness develop in women who've been in abusive relationships much sooner in the life span than we would typically expect to see it."

That's why she's leading a first-of-its-kind study looking at 18 to 20-year-olds who've been in an abusive relationship.

"They're scared to tell their family, they're scared to tell their parents and they're not exactly sure of what to do," Shiflett says.

Previous research has found victims actually age faster, but doctor Burton wants to see how early it starts. That way, she and others can develop intervention and prevention strategies to help women stay healthier and find their voice.

If you're in an abusive relationship, call the Virginia Family Violence and Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-838-8238.

Source: WRIC.com