Abusive relationships have long fascinated researchers as they seek to better understand why the problem occurs and how it persists from generation to generation. The scientific literature on this topic traditionally has examined adult relationships, but it has become increasingly evident that abusive relationships are prevalent among adolescents as well. Erica Bowen and Kate Walker’s book
The Psychology of Violence in Adolescent Romantic Relationships provides an overview of relevant issues surrounding adolescent dating violence. The book opens by contextualizing violence in adolescent relationships before discussing its prevalence and long-term impact, and concludes by discussing the effectiveness of past intervention strategies and offering a conceptual framework for how future interventions should be designed and implemented. The book is tailored for general readers seeking to learn about the current knowledge pertaining to adolescent relationship violence. It also likely will be of particular interest to researchers, practitioners, and policymakers who may refer to it when designing studies or enacting guidelines or laws. In Bowen and Walker’s own words, “Given the increase in research activity in this field… it seems prudent to consolidate what we know about violence and abuse in adolescent relationships and how to prevent it; this is the ultimate aim of this book” (Bowen and Walker
2015, p. 1). With this literature, the authors successfully highlight the importance of researching adolescent relationships. By gaining more knowledge about how domestic violence begins during adolescence, more preventative measures can be taken to ensure that the problem does not linger or worsen throughout life. By extrapolating this concept beyond the realm of abusive relationships, it is reasonable to claim that more research needs to be done with adolescents in general in order to better identify, solve, and prevent problems from occurring at a young age, thus promoting healthier adult lives. …
