Intimate partner violence among young people: A systematic review of recent evidence
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22019708Keywords:
intimate partner violence, dating violence, youth, cyberviolenceAbstract
Intimate partner violence among young people (IPV), also known as dating violence, represents a public health problem due to its frequency and its cumulative effects on the mental health, well-being, and relationship trajectories of young people. This systematic review synthesizes the evidence published between 2022 and 2025 on three axes: (i) prevalence and forms of IPV (including cyber dating abuse [CDA]), (ii) psychosocial consequences, and (iii) effectiveness of preventive interventions. The PRISMA 2020 guidelines were followed for the identification, selection, eligibility, and inclusion of studies, and searches were conducted in Scopus and other high-visibility databases. After applying the PRISMA process, 24 articles were included in the qualitative synthesis. The findings reveal significant prevalence rates of both victimization and perpetration, a high co-occurrence between offline violence and cyberbullying in dating relationships, and consistent associations with internalizing symptoms, risky behaviors, and revictimization. In the area of prevention, programs focused on at-risk adolescents and structured school interventions that address relationship skills, gender norms, and digital safety have shown small to moderate effects; however, methodological gaps persist in measuring and monitoring outcomes. Overall, the issue of dating violence among young people demands comprehensive approaches that integrate social-emotional learning, a gender perspective, digital literacy, and early detection in educational and healthcare settings.
Downloads
References
Ackard, D. M., & Eisenberg, M. E. (2024). Verbal, physical and sexual dating violence among a population-based sample of teens: Does exposure to intimate partner violence in the home account for the association between dating violence and mental health? Child Abuse & Neglect, 147, 106581. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106581
Afrouz, R., & Vassos, S. (2024). Adolescents’ experiences of cyber-dating abuse and the pattern of abuse through technology: A scoping review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 25(4), 2814–2828. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380241227457
Arrojo, S., Santirso, F. A., Lila, M., Gracia, E., & Conchell, R. (2024). Dating violence prevention programs for at-risk adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 74, 101893. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2023.101893
Baumler, E., Wood, L., & Temple, J. R. (2023). Three-year outcomes from a middle school dating violence prevention program. Pediatrics, 152(4), e2023062281. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2023-062281
Bellemare-Lepage, A., Boutin, S., Bizier-Lacroix, V., Martin-Storey, A., & Temcheff, C. (2025). Person-centered approaches for dating violence among adolescents and young adults: A systematic review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 83, 102059. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2025.102059
Camacho Soto, J. N., Exner-Cortens, D., McMorris, C., & Madigan, S. (2024). Secondary and tertiary prevention for adolescent dating violence: A systematic review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 25(5), 3938–3950. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380241265384
Campo-Tena, L., Larmour, S. R., Pereda, N., & Eisner, M. (2024). Longitudinal associations between adolescent dating violence victimization and adverse outcomes: A systematic review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 25(2), 1556–1574. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380231174504
Cohen, J. R., Choi, J. W., Fishbach, J. S., & Temple, J. R. (2025). A trauma-focused screening approach for teen dating violence prevention. Prevention Science, 26(1), 80–92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-025-01772-4
Erbiçer, E. S., Boranlı, E. N., Metin, A., Erbiçer, S., Şen, S., Toplu Demirtaş, E., & Espelage, D. L. (2025). Cyber dating violence among youth and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 54(3), 625–648. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-024-02082-8
Exner-Cortens, D., Baker, E., & Craig, W. (2023). Canadian adolescents’ experiences of dating violence: Associations with social power imbalances. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 38(1–2), 1762–1786. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605221092072
Jaureguizar, J., Redondo, I., Dosil-Santamaría, M., & Aróstegui, I. (2024). Evaluation of the effectiveness of the CDA-Stop program: Cyberviolence prevention program for adolescent couples. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 40(19-20). https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605241294240
Kim, C., & Ferraresso, R. (2023). Examining technology-facilitated intimate partner violence: A systematic review of journal articles. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 24(3), 1325–1343. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380211061402
Lee, S. W., & Koo, M. J. (2022). PRISMA 2020 statement and guidelines for systematic review and meta-analysis articles, and their underlying mathematics. Life Cycle, 2, e9. https://doi.org/10.54724/lc.2022.e9
Li, J., Ran, G., Zhang, Q., & He, X. (2023). The prevalence of cyber dating abuse among adolescents and emerging adults: A meta-analysis. Computers in Human Behavior, 144, 107726. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2023.107726
López-Barranco, P. J., Jiménez-Ruiz, I., Leal-Costa, C., Andina-Díaz, E., López-Alonso, A. I., & Jiménez-Barbero, J. A. (2022). Violence in dating relationships: Validation of the CADRI questionnaire in a young adult population. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(17), 11083. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191711083
López-Barranco, P. J., Jiménez-Ruiz, I., Pérez-Martínez, M. J., Ruiz-Penin, A., & Jiménez-Barbero, J. A. (2022). Revisión sistemática y meta-análisis de la violencia en las relaciones de noviazgo en adolescentes y adultos jóvenes. Revista Iberoamericana de Psicología y Salud, 13(2), 73-84. https://doi.org/10.23923/j.rips.2022.02.055
Malherbe, I., Delhaye, M., Kornreich, C., & Kacenelenbogen, N. (2023). Teen dating violence and mental health: A review. Psychiatria Danubina, 35(Suppl. 2), 155–159. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37800219/
Martínez Soto, A., & Ibabe, I. (2022). Recommended instruments for analyzing cyber dating violence: A systematic review. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 25, e4. https://doi.org/10.1017/SJP.2021.50
Martínez Soto, A., Lopez-del Burgo, C., Albertos, A., & Ibabe, I. (2024). Cyber dating abuse in adolescents: Myths of romantic love, sexting practices and bullying. Computers in Human Behavior, 150, 108001. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2023.108001
Martínez-Soto, A., & Ibabe, I. (2024). Cyber dating abuse: Conceptualization and meta-analysis of prevalence rates. Anuario de Psicología Jurídica, 34(1), 133–144. https://doi.org/10.5093/apj2023a11
Meiksin, R., Bonell, C., Bhatia, A., Melendez-Torres, G. J., Kyegombe, N., & Kohli, A. (2024). Social norms about dating and relationship violence and gender among adolescents: Systematic review of measures used in dating and relationship violence research. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 25(1), 448–462. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380231155526
Paradis, A., Fortin, A., Van Camp, T., Hébert, M., & Fernet, M. (2024). A latent class analysis of adolescent dating violence: Associations with daily conflict management. Child Abuse & Neglect, 149, 106619. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106619
Piolanti, A., Waller, F., Schmid, I. E., & Foran, H. M. (2023). Long-term adverse outcomes associated with teen dating violence: A systematic review. Pediatrics, 151(6), e2022059654. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2022-059654
Price, M. N., Green, A. E., DeChants, J. P., & Davis, C. K. (2023). Physical dating violence victimization among LGBTQ youth: Disclosure and association with mental health. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 38(15–16), 9059–9085. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605231162655
Ramírez-Carrasco, D., Agurto, C., & Cava, M. J. (2023). Jealousy, sexism, and romantic love myths: The role of beliefs in online dating violence. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1212737. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1212737
Rethlefsen, M. L., & Page, M. J. (2022). PRISMA 2020 and PRISMA-S: Common questions on tracking records and the flow diagram. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 110(2), 253–257. https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2022.1449
Rodríguez-deArriba, M.-L., Santos, C., Cunha, O., Sánchez-Jiménez, V., & Caridade, S. (2024). Relationship between cyber and in-person dating abuse: A systematic review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 77, 101943. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2024.101943
Torp Lokkeberg, S., Ihlebæk, C., Brottveit, G., & Del Busso, L. (2024). Digital violence and abuse: A scoping review of adverse experiences within adolescent intimate partner relationships. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 25(3), 1954–1965. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380231201816
Wang, H., Wang, J., Wei, X., & Lei, L. (2023). Cyber dating abuse victimization and experiential avoidance among Chinese female adolescents: The roles of self-compassion and interpersonal flexibility. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 38(3–4), 4416–4442. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605221116316
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The journal is licensed under the Attribution License (CC BY), allowing the possibility of copying, distributing, displaying, and producing derivative works, as long as the author is acknowledged and cited.
