Dating Matters and the Future of Teen Dating Violence Prevention

Despite increased focus and research on violence prevention, rates of teen dating violence (TDV) victimization have remained stable for the last two decades. In response to this major public health concern, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed and evaluated a multicomponent school-based program, Dating Matters, with the goal of reducing teen dating violence perpetration and victimization. This commentary discusses themes from the results of Dating Matters studies included in this special section of Prevention Science. We review the challenges in implementing multicomponent violence prevention programs across the social ecology as well as the promise of success in communities with elevated rates of TDV. Finally, we summarize the implications of these findings for violence prevention research and offer emerging areas where more research is needed.