A Workshop in Addressing Adolescent Relationship Abuse

Katelin Blackburn, MD, MPH
Felicia Scott-Wellington, MD

Objective: Participants will leave this workshop with enhanced tools and strategies for effectively supporting adolescents who are or may be experiencing adolescent relationship abuse, otherwise known as teen dating violence.

Background: Adolescent relationship abuse is a critical issue affecting far too many young individuals. Each year, more than 1 in 3 adolescents experience physical, sexual, or emotional abuse in their dating relationships. These experiences significantly increase their risk of developing harmful internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Youth with intersectional identities—including those identifying as LGBQ, those who are gender diverse, and those from minority racial and ethnic backgrounds—face even higher rates of physical and sexual dating violence.

Workshop Content:

Scope of the Problem: - Detailed exploration of the prevalence and impact of adolescent relationship abuse. - Examination of the physical injuries and emotional harms experienced by both those who experience and those who commit the violent acts.

Clinical Insights: - Using an emergency room clinical encounter as a case study, we will discuss the critical role every clinical staff member can play in supporting adolescents facing relationship violence. - We will introduce the CUES framework (Confidentiality, Universal Education and Empowerment, Support), an evidence-based tool designed to empower healthcare providers to support adolescents who may be experiencing relationship abuse, regardless of if they choose to disclose this or not during our encounter.

Practical Application: - We will train participants to use the CUES framework as a means of empowering adolescents to continue to build healthy relationships, as well as in supporting adolescents in safely navigating unhealthy or ending abusive relationships, as the time immediately following a break-up is the most dangerous time from a physical injury and mortality standpoint.

Community Partnerships: - We will highlight US-based organizations that clinicians can collaborate with to implement transformative programs in their communities with a goal of equipping youth with skills for building healthy relationships, recognizing signs of unhealthy relationships, and accessing professional support safely.

By the end of the workshop, participants will be equipped to make a meaningful impact in the lives of adolescents by promoting healthy relationships and providing crucial support to those experiencing relationship abuse.

1. Define what constitutes physical, sexual and emotional adolescent relationship abuse.
2. Describe the epidemiology of adolescent relationship abuse.
3. Identify groups that are at elevated risk of experiencing adolescent relationship abuse.
4. Describe the harmful physical and psychological sequelae of adolescent relationship abuse.
5. Demonstrate ability to implement the CUES (confidentiality, universal education and empowerment, support) framework in clinical settings to provide youth with resources to recognize, prevent, and address dating violence.

What TiKtok Taught Me About Safe Sleep: Rethinking Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Messaging to Adolescent Parents and Caregivers

Felicia Scott-Wellington, MD
Gina Lowell, MD, MPH
Eliot England, MPH

The transition through adolescence can be a challenging journey for most teens. Becoming a parent during adolescence is an additional transition. After the birth of a new baby, an adolescent shifts from being parented to becoming a parent who can plan appropriately, assert one's voice, and assess risk for their own child. This adaptation, however, is often met with substantial obstacles and challenges. Many parenting youth have experienced numerous negative health care encounters that contribute to disengagement and mistrust of the health care system, encouraging them to seek information from sources outside of healthcare providers.

A qualitative study of new mothers found that images of sleeping infants and infant sleep environments, as found in photographs, television, and social media platforms, were one of the most consistent influences on their decisions about how infants slept at home. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable to these images, especially when posted by peers who are strong influencers during this stage of brain development. Adolescents may rely on their parents or other family members for their infants’ care and find themselves waffling between accepting “Grandma knows best” , peer influences, and their own instincts. Those providing safe sleep counseling may inadvertently direct their guidance towards an adolescent’s parent, leaving adolescents excluded from effective safe sleep messaging, adolescent appropriate conversations, and situationally specific solutions.

This workshop will review adolescent brain development and the importance of appropriate adolescent discussions when reviewing safe sleep recommendations. We will review quotes from teen parents regarding barriers to safe sleep, highlighting the importance of engaging teens in discussions and solutions regarding infant safe sleep. Lastly, we will discuss the importance of recognizing cultural influences on safe sleep practices and historical challenges teen parents face when trying to reorganize these deeply embedded familial structures. To engage adolescents and young adults in health care, practitioners are encouraged to consider their own biases when serving this population. Together we must work towards fostering a positive, nonjudgmental approach, thereby providing supportive environments for our young parents to thrive.

1. Review data on SUID in infants with adolescent parents in temporary housing situations

2. Review adolescent brain development and its importance in adolescent specific messaging to parenting youth

3. Highlight challenges adolescent and young adult parents face when following safe sleep recommendations

4. Provide strategies to aid in discussions about safe sleep practices in parenting youth