A recent University study finds that teen-age boys and girls are just as likely to be victims of physical abuse on a date.
But the study also reports that girls suffer more severe violence and greater physical and emotional effects from the abuse.
Joyce Wright, prevention and education coordinator for the University's Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center, said the reports are not surprising.
"We have found that teen-age violent behavior in the age range of 13-17 tends to be almost equal between boys and girls, so this isn't suprising," Wright said. "I do agree with the report findings."
The study, conducted by University Associate Social Work Prof. Richard Tolman and Christian Molidor of the University of Texas at Arlington, found that approximately 37 percent of boys and 36 percent of girls say they have endured some type of physical abuse in a dating relationship.
The seriousness in the nature of violence differed greatly, however. Ninety percent of participating boys said their worst experience of dating violence "hurt very little" or "not at all," while nearly half the girls surveyed reported harm that "hurt a lot" and physical injuries that left bruises or required medical attention, Tolman said.
The study examined 635 students from an unidentified Midwest high school. The subjects ranged in age from 13-18. The study explored not only the occurance of violence in dating relationships, but the context of the violence and the participants' reactions to it.
Wright said dating violence paterns change as adolescents get older.
"The nature of the violence, however, is different when college-age students are involved. We tend to see the participants who initiate the violence are men when they are older," Wright said.
The study results show that more than half of the boys said they laughed at receiving the abuse, while a third ignored it. Girls more often fought back, obeyed or tried to talk to their partner after experiencing violence. About 36 percent of the girls said they defended themselves when abused by their date.
Tolman said this may explain why the amount of violence boys reported was so high.
"This is one way of accounting for some of the incidents of violence that boys report occurring toward them," Tolman said in a written statement. "The boys' reports of violence toward them may, in fact, be their partners' acts of self-defense in reaction to violence that they are experiencing."
The report also suggested that the relationship between alcohol and drug use play a role in incidents of violence.
The study found that 55 percent of the girls who were physically abused said their partners were drunk at the time.
"The relationship between alcohol and drug use and incidents of violence is undoubtedly complex," Tolman said.
LSA first-year student Julie Lumpkin said she hopes the study can help both men and women.
"I think it is important that we recognize the fact that women can be violent towards men," Lumpkin said. "However it is also important to see the disparity in the severity of the violence."
LSA sophomore Joseph Streets said physical abuse is a big problem on campus.
"At a university like this, you don't think that these problems exist, but they do," Streets said. "Unfortunately, they are hidden well and a lot of victims of this violence don't want to step forward because they're afraid that no one is going to believe them."
Tolman said schools should take a more active role in preparing teens to respond effectively to abuse reported by friends.
"While popular depictions might give the impression that school violence is largely a problem of violence between boys, these results demonstrate that the school is also a dangerous place for young women," Tolman said.