https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380251325202
TRAUMA, VIOLENCE, & ABUSE
1–18
© The Author(s) 2025
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DOI: 10.1177/15248380251325202
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Review Manuscript
Teen dating abuse (TDA), a pattern of behaviors, including
physical, sexual, and psychological abuse that can occur
both in-person and online (Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 2023), is a pervasive and harmful reality of many
youth dating relationships. National data reports that 69% of
12- to 18-year-old youth experience TDA victimization in
their lifetime, with 18% experiencing physical abuse, 18%
experiencing sexual abuse, and 60% experiencing psycho-
logical abuse (Taylor & Mumford, 2016). TDA has been
associated with high-risk behaviors (e.g., marijuana and
alcohol use), negative mental health outcomes, and future
experiences of partner violence (Piolanti et al., 2023). TDA
does not impact all youth equally, as girls, LGBTQ+ youth,
and youth of color experience more negative consequences
associated with TDA than other youth (Fix et al., 2022;
Piolanti et al., 2023).
After decades of efforts by researchers, educators, and
practitioners to identify and raise awareness about TDA,
the field has shifted to a focus on developing positive
relationships rather than preventing harmful relationships. A
key aspect of prevention is promoting “healthy relationships
(HR),” acknowledging that TDA awareness only tells youth
what not to do in relationships rather than what to do in rela-
tionships (Bloom & Gullotta, 2003). TDA prevention is
likely to be more effective if youth are equipped with knowl-
edge, skills, and social support to have respectful, safe, and
pleasurable dating relationships across developmental stages
(Exner-Cortens et al., 2021). Although there is a proliferation
of research about and programs to address HR, scholars have
1325202TVA XX X 10.1177/15248380251325202TRAUMA, VIOLENCE, & ABUSECavaletto et al.
review-article 2025
1
School of Social Work, University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA
2
Oakland Promise, CA, USA
3
School of Social Work, Arizona State University, Phoenix, USA
4
Arizona State University, Tempe, USA
Corresponding Author:
April Cavaletto, School of Social Work, University of Maryland, Baltimore,
525 West Redwood Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
Email: acavaletto@ssw.umaryland.edu
“Healthy Relationships”: A Scoping
Review of Definitions, Components, and
Measures of Healthy Dating Relationships
Among Teens and Young Adults
April Cavaletto
1
, Lauren A. Reed
2
, Siobhan M. Lawler
3
,
Barbara G. Turner
4
, Jordyn K. Walhof
4
, and Jill T. Messing
3
Abstract
Healthy relationships (HR) education has been widely adopted as an alternative or complement to dating abuse prevention
education among youth and young adults. This scoping review evaluated the literature on HR among young people to identify
definitions, components, and measures of HR. Both academic, peer-reviewed articles and gray literature were included
and documents meeting a priori inclusion criteria were screened for: focus on healthy romantic or intimate relationships;
published in English; scholarly publication; published between 2005 and 2021; focus on teens or young adults; and including
a definition, components, or measures of HR. A total of 964 non-duplicated documents were identified. After full-text
screening and data extraction, 69 articles were included in the review. Definitions, components, and measures of HR
varied greatly between documents. While most included documents provided components of HR, only 17 articles included
definitions of HR. These definitions largely focused on the components of HR, though some also discussed the nature of HR.
In total, 223 components of HR were identified from the included documents, which this analysis distills into 12 categories.
In addition, 47 measures were used to measure HR, and measures are rarely repeated across documents, indicating a need
to increase consistency in conceptualization and measurement. HR has been implicitly defined by a set of components rather
than through the use of theory. To develop standards for HR education, a consistent framework should be identified that
includes the multidimensional nature of HR and can be consistently measured.
Keywords
teen dating violence, dating violence, intimate partner, violence/abuse, research, methodology/measurement, violence
prevention, youth violence