På senare tid, i Sverige och andra nordiska länder, har det funnits en växande fokus på våld i nära relationer (IPV) bland ungdomar, vilket markerar ett relativt nytt erkännande av unga individer som potentiella erbjudanden för sådant våld. Ändå kvarstår kunskapsluckor när det gäller unga erbjudande för IPV som möter ytterligare sociala problem. En specifik lucka gäller ungdomar på särskilda boenden för ungdomar (SRHYs), och deras erfarenheter av ungdoms IPV. Den här studien tittar på unga individer som placerats inom SRHY som drivs av den svenska regeringen och deras erfarenheter av IPV före placering. Med utgångspunkt i 16 intervjuer gjorda med IPV-viktimiserade kvinnliga ungdomar i SRHYs, visar hur det är att vara en person med ett socialt problem som missbruk och även att utsättas för IPV. Vi utvecklar denna bild med hjälp av fyra underteman: våldsexponering ('nära döden'), omfattande viktimisering, pojkvännens del av det sociala destruktiva beteendet och ifrågasatt viktimisering ('Det visade sig vara sant'). Våra resultat kompletterar kunskapsbasen om IPV för ungdomar och specifikt om hur unga omhändertagna på SRHY beskriver sin utsatthet. Sammantaget bidrar till studier med viktig kunskap för socialsekreterare om hur det är att vara ung och möta ytterligare sociala problem samtidigt som de utsätts för IPV.

Recently, in Sweden and other Nordic countries, there has been a growing focus on intimate partner violence (IPV) among youth, marking a relatively new acknowledgement of young individuals as potential victims of such violence. Nonetheless, knowledge gaps remain regarding young victims of IPV who face additional social problems. One specific gap concerns young people at special residential homes for youth (SRHYs), and their experiences of youth IPV. This study looks at young individuals placed in care in SRHYs run by the Swedish government, and their experiences of IPV prior to placement. Drawing upon 16 interviews conducted with IPV-victimized female youth in SRHYs, the study shows what it is like to be a young person with a social problem such as substance abuse and also be subjected to IPV. We develop this picture using four sub-themes: violence exposure (‘near death’), extensive victimization, the boyfriend as part of the social destructive behaviour, and questioned victimization (‘It turned out to be true’). Our findings add to the knowledge base on youth IPV and specifically address how young people taken into care at SRHY describe their victimization. Overall, the study contributes important knowledge for social workers on what it is like to be young and face additional social problems while also being subjected to IPV.

This study focuses on sexual youth intimate partner violence (YIPV), what it is like to be young and subjected to such violence and how this experience affects a young person. Drawing upon 27 interviews with victims (ages 17–24) of sexual YIPV, we ask: How does psychological aspects influence how sexual YIPV and control were experienced? How are young victims affected by the violence? From a social perspective, how can we understand the consequences? The results suggest that experiences of sexual YIPV may lead to consequences such as development of a negative body image and difficulties having sex; loss of bodily control; and using sex as a means of self-injury. Our findings also show how sexual YIPV is interconnected with other forms of violence. The findings are valuable to professionals supporting young victims of sexual IPV, as they shed light on how sexual YIPV may affect young victims.

Several studies have suggested a high prevalence of violence inyoung people’s romantic relationships. A significant gap in knowl-edge persists, however, regarding how young people in specialresidential homes for youth (SRHY) in Sweden characterize andcommunicate about the violence they experience in their relation-ships, as well as how they describe societal responses to suchviolence within their networks, including from professionals. Sixteen in-depth interviews were conducted with girls from threedifferent SRHYs using Hydén’s “teller-focused” approach. Responses varied based on the girls’ personal networks and pro-fessional connections. A common denominator, however, is thatthe girls had disclosed the violence, described as exceptionallysevere, to any external person to only a limited extent. Many ofthem shared their experiences of victimization for the first timeduring the interview, prompting a reconsideration and clarificationof the relational aspects of the interview procedure and resulting inthe conceptualization of a new interview procedure: the relationalinterview approach. This approach has implications for the practi-calities of engaging in a conversation with a young person who hasexperienced violence.

In this article, we analyze how young people with sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization experiences describe, interpret and attempt to understand their abusive partners. Building on a qualitative interview study with 27 young participants (ages 17–24) from Norway and Sweden, our analysis demonstrates how young people’s victimization experiences in abusive relationships are characterized by confusing, contradictory and conflicting emotions about their abusive partners. We developed two ‘ideal types’ of relationship dynamics with abusive partners from our empirical material – being in a relationship with a ‘Callous Lover’ or a ‘Frightening Victim’, respectively. These ideal types illustrate how emotional contradictions take different forms, are managed differently and bring different consequences for the young, victimized participants. We argue that their efforts to manage their contradictory feelings towards their abusive partners can be understood as ‘emotion work’. The demand for such work is shaped by social expectations and norms of what constitutes a ‘good’ or ‘normal’ relationship, and of what can or should be expected of romantic or sexual partners in adolescent and young adult relationships. Managing and trying to live up to these expectations has consequences for young people’s opportunities to disentangle themselves from harmful relationships.

Internationally, it is established that many youth experience violence within their romantic intimate relationships (youth intimate partner violence, Youth IPV). In Sweden, however, despite a well-developed research field on domestic violence and violence against children, knowledge about the prevalence of Youth IPV remains lacking. Therefore, taking its starting point in a mixed-method study on youth IPV in Sweden, this study presents incidence rates of Youth IPV victimization in a sample of Swedish youth, as well as associated factors to such victimization. Arenas of violence – i.e. settings where the violence takes place – are also addressed. In total, 59.7% (n = 526) of study respondents reported having experienced some form of IPV either once or multiple times. The results suggest gender differences: girls reported higher rates of victimization, especially for multiple experiences of violence. Markers for IPV victimization are presented. It is shown that Youth IPV happens in arenas to which adults have access. Viable markers for victimization are suggested; furthermore, the belief that ‘only at-risk youth experience IPV’ is challenged. It is critical that Youth IPV be considered a social problem in Sweden, deserving of specific attention and interventions. Youth IPV does not happen behind closed doors, but under the same roof as adults who have the obligation to protect them (i.e. parents and school staff) and this offers unique opportunities to respond and help. Further research should investigate the support offered to IPV-exposed youth, thereby shifting the focus to how this social problem is tackled.

A substantial body of existing research offers valuable knowledge about how victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) manage to leave abusive partners. To date, however, such studies have focused on adult women. The present article focuses on abusive youth relationships and how they end, adopting an intersectional approach to place analytic focus on youth, gender and sexuality as societal positions. The data consist of in-depth ‘teller-focused’ interviews with 18 IPV victims aged 17–23 in Sweden. The theory-driven analysis brings to the fore a multilevel Ending Process presenting ‘barriers’ and ‘bridges’ on three levels: the societal, the social and the individual. Societal norms, social arenas and individual factors are all shown to affect youth victimisation as well as the relationship ending process. Gender norms seem to be key in understanding IPV among young women, as they appear to present a challenge to ending abusive relationships. It is important to acknowledge violence in youth intimate relationships and to consider the whole of a young person’s experience of IPV. Researchers, practitioners and policymakers need to be sensitive to how different societal positions interact and affect youth victimisation and young people’s ability to end abusive relationships.

Swedish studies on intimate partner violence (IPV) among young people are virtually non-existent, and the European research field on this phenomenon has not been specifically overviewed. This thesis aims to review European research on youth IPV, investigate the extent and characteristics of youth IPV victimization in a sample of Swedish high school students, and explore the dynamics of this victimization.

The dissertation consists of four sub-studies employing different kinds of methods and using different sets of data. Analyses are underpinned by a rather extensive theoretical framework, permitting an examination of youth IPV from different perspectives and angles.

Study I gives an overview of existing European research, pointing out trends and challenges within the field and providing a frame of reference for the Swedish study. One conclusion of this overview is that an intersectional approach is needed when researching violence among youth, and that gender, especially, is a key variable to explore in research on youth IPV.

Study II presents IPV prevalence rates in a regional sample of Swedish young people. Drawing upon survey data, the study shows that over half of participating youth reported experiences of some form of IPV, and that girls experience more repeated IPV compared to boys. Furthermore, the study places youth IPV in a physical context, suggesting that it takes place in different arenas, such as the parents’ house, the partner’s house, and at school.

Study III uses data consisting of “teller-focused” interviews with 18 IPV victimized youth (aged 17-23) in Sweden, and illustrates the dynamics of IPV victimization, establishing it as a social phenomenon and emphasizing the agency of young people in the midst of abusive relationships. It shows varying responses (including a lack of response) from three different actors: parents, school, and young people themselves, all from the young person’s perspective. Overall, the data show that youth-specific factors (e.g. parental dependency, attending school) have a meaningful bearing on both responses and resilience to IPV.

Lastly, study IV draws upon data consisting of “teller-focused” interviews with 18 IPV victimized youth (aged 17-23) in Sweden, and shows how young people’s abusive relationships come to an end. It shows that the ending process for youth may be different than for adults, since youth-specific factors create unique barriers (e.g. the desire to be a girlfriend) and bridges (e.g. parental responsibilities) for young people seeking to end abusive relationships.

Overall, this dissertation shows that many Swedish youth experience violence within a romantic intimate relationship, and that such violence, many times, is repeated and severe. The results indicate a gendered dimension to youth IPV—compared to boys, girls report more repeated violence and also describe how gendered norms affect their victimization. Moreover, regarding the physical context of youth IPV, the results show that this social problem takes place in arenas where adults dwell and how they can respond. Hence, it is not possible for the adult world to dismiss youth IPV as something undetectable.

In sum, this dissertation shows that IPV does happen “when you’re young too.” Thus, it seems apparent that a wide-ranging response is called for: one that involves parents, schools, social workers, and policy makers alike. Only then will youth IPV as a social problem receive the attention it needs and deserves.

Taking its starting point in a mixed methods study on Dating Violence/Youth Intimate Partner Violence (youth IPV), this article emphasizes the social sphere of youth IPV and contributes to a focus shift from consequences and risks to responses, resilience, and resistance. It asks how IPV-exposed youth describe their responses and those of their social networks to violence, and how these responses might be interconnected with resilience. By exploring the concepts of ‘resistance’ and ‘paradoxical resilience’, youth responses in the context of an abusive relationship are highlighted. The empirical data comes from 18 in-depth, ‘teller focused’ interviews with victimized youth (aged 17–23) in Sweden. A theoretical thematic analysis of the interviews surfaced responses from three different types of actors, all described from the youth perspective. Responses are discussed from the point of view that they can promote resilience, but also enable abuse to continue. Overall, the data show youth-specific factors that have meaningful bearing on responses as well as resilience. The article also proposes that responses should be an omnipresent concern for practitioners working with these young people and for the adults involved in their lives.