WSU Research

Researchers at Wichita State University’s Department of Sociology have been an integral part of Start Strong Wichita-acquiring information from students, parents and school staff regarding teen dating relationships. They have developed the tools, as well as conducted several focus groups with parents school staff, and the students. Surveys have also been distributed to members of the community at city events, such as Final Friday. Overall, the investigators in this research aim to gain useful insight into how teens, parents and teachers view and experience teen dating relationships.

Teens and parents often view dating relationships differently, which elicits difficulty communicating about what healthy relationships look like. Questions arise such as “Are kids 11-14 really dating?”, “When is the right time to communicate about dating?”, “Education and research is critical in order to develop communication outlets, as well as policy changes which can be implemented through schools. Wichita State University researchers have looked at previous research and programs that have been done in order to gain further knowledge about teen dating relationships. Our researchers are specifically interested in whether or not young adults recognize signs of an unhealthy relationships, and if they know what to do if they find themselves in a potentially dangerous situation. We also want to know if the lines of communication about relationships between teachers, parents, and teens are open, and if not, we want to learn how best to bridge the gap.

Our research indicates that teens rely on both their peers and their parents for guidance in personal relationships. Identifying both the language the kids and parents use to describe relationships and the communication strategies that teen relationships use will hopefully give us new insight on the nature of violence prevention work. Overall, we hope to promote healthy relationships by focusing on the positive aspects like Love, Respect, Honesty, Compassion and provide the tools to know how to identify dating violence in ourselves and our peers.