Safe Dates—Psychological Abuse Perpetration is a program designed to reduce the risk of psychological abuse perpetration among adolescents. The program is based on the premise that psychological abuse is a learned behavior and can be prevented through education and early intervention. The program consists of a series of activities and lessons designed to teach adolescents about the dynamics of healthy relationships. It focuses on topics such as communication, respect, trust, and healthy boundaries. The program also provides information about the signs and consequences of psychological abuse, as well as strategies for responding to it. Safe Dates—Psychological Abuse Perpetration is designed to be implemented in middle and high schools, as well as in community settings. It is typically administered over the course of several weeks, and includes activities such as role–playing, group discussions, and video presentations. The program has been shown to be effective in reducing psychological abuse perpetration among adolescents. It has also been found to increase knowledge about the dynamics of healthy relationships, as well as improve attitudes towards respect and trust.
1. Damaged something that belonged to them.
2. Said things to hurt their feelings on purpose.
3. Insulted them in front of others.
4. Threw something at them that missed.
5. Would not let them do things with other people.
6. Threatened to start dating someone else.
7. Told them they could not talk to someone of the opposite sex.
8. Started to hit them but stopped.
9. Did something just to make them jealous.
10. Blamed them for bad things I did.
11. Threatened to hurt them.
12. Made them describe where they were every minute of the day.
13. Brought up something from the past to hurt them.
14. Put down their looks.
- victimization
- relationships
This instrument can be found on page 135 of Measuring Intimate Partner Violence Victimization and Perpetration: A Compendium of Assessment Tools‚ available online at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/pub-res/IPV_Compendium.pdf
Point values are assigned as follows:
3= Very Often
2= Sometimes
1= Seldom
0= Never
The psychological abuse victimization score is calculated by summing responses across all 14 items. Summed scores are recoded as follows:
• 0 = 0 and indicates no perpetration.
• 1–5 = 1 and indicates mild psychological abuse.
• 6–9 = 2 and indicates moderate psychological abuse.
• 10 and greater = 3 and indicates severe psychological abuse.
Foshee VA‚ Bauman KE‚ Arriaga XB‚ Helms RW‚ Koch GG‚ Linder GF. An evaluation of Safe Dates‚ an adolescent dating violence program. American Journal of Public Health 1998;88:45–50.
Foshee VA‚ Linder GF‚ Bauman KE‚ et al. The Safe Dates project: theoretical basis‚ evaluation design‚ and selected baseline findings. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 1996;12:39–47.