Unfortunately, young people often don’t recognize abusive behavior, suggests Winn’s DART advocate Annie Goods. 

”In fact, 57 percent of college students say it’s difficult to identify dating abuse. Abuse often starts subtly, so victims don’t realize they’re in a situation that could escalate toward violence. And even when it’s recognized, survivors don’t know where to turn, and friends don’t know what to do.”

She notes that while more than half of college women know a friend who has experienced violence or abuse in a relationship, 58 percent say they don’t know how to help. In addition, students who have experienced abuse when they were younger may find that it continues. Violence in high school relationships carries over to college. 

And if violence is present in a person’s first relationships, it can present larger barriers to trying to figure out how to have a healthy relationship after that. Even more so, if it’s a first sexual relationship, that such a defining experience for a young person. They may wonder, “How do I have healthy sex with someone? How do I have a healthy relationship with someone?”

Many college students are living away from home for the first time, the advocate says. “So, they may feel isolated since they don’t have the in-person support from their family and peer group that had when they were younger. Along with fear of the abuser, college students may be afraid that their parents will find out about their relationship, their friends won’t support them or their school won’t understand.”