Adolescence is a formative time for attaining education, gaining financial independence and building the foundations of a future career. At the same time, many young people are navigating their first romantic relationships.
So, when an intimate partner sabotages or controls a young person’s finances or interferes with their education — a phenomenon known as teen economic abuse (TEA) — it’s likely to have profound impacts, according to Sarah Scott, graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health.
“TEA has not been well studied, but we know from research on adults that economic abuse impacts mental health and limits survivors’ ability to access health care, pursue educational goals and attain employment, which is a huge part of having financial independence, food security and housing security,” said Scott. “Adolescence is a time when young people are figuring out what interests them and what they want their futures to look like, so having someone coerce their decisions during this period can really limit their ability to dream and pursue their goals.”
And TEA is shockingly common, according to new research by Scott, Dr. Elizabeth Miller, professor of pediatrics at Pitt, Dr. Meredith Wallace, associate professor of psychiatry at Pitt, and their colleagues. In a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, they found that 70% of youth reported experiencing some form of economic abuse from a partner and 81% reported that they had inflicted this kind of abuse on their partners.
In collaboration with young people, social workers and other youth practitioners, and the non-profit organization Futures Without Violence (FUTURES), Scott and her team developed an online survey aimed at better understanding TEA in participants aged 13 to 19. The survey consisted of 70 questions related to education, employment and finances in terms of both victimization and perpetration of economic abuse.
In all, 2,432 participants completed the survey. Youth who identified as cisgender female and gender-diverse had more types of TEA exposures than cisgender males. Youth who reported experiencing physical or sexual violence in a relationship within the past year and those who had experienced homelessness or foster care also had more types of TEA than participants without such experiences.
“These findings are aligned with what we know about the normalization of violence against women and gender-diverse youth, which is rooted in our patriarchal society,” said Scott. “Likewise, we were not surprised to see that housing insecurity is a risk factor for TEA. People are more likely to stay in an abusive relationship if they depend on their partner for basic necessities, such as housing, transportation and food.”
The survey also found that 81% of teens said parents or guardians shape their views on what a healthy relationship looks like and 79% said their parents or guardians shape their views on how couples should make financial decisions.
“This tells us that teens are listening and looking for the adults in their lives to teach, model and guide them on what a healthy relationship could be and how they should be making choices about their finances, education and employment opportunities,” said Ana Lόpez van Balen, vice president of economic security and justice at FUTURES.
A surprising finding was that white adolescents reported more types of TEA exposures than those who identified as Native American, Alaskan Native, Hispanic Latino and multiracial. In adult studies, minoritized racial or ethnic participants were more likely to report economic abuse than those who identify as white.
“It was shocking to us just how many young people are experiencing TEA and that it’s just not talked about in mainstream culture,” said Scott. “Awareness of this issue is the first step toward prevention, and we’ve been trying to lead the charge, along with our partners at FUTURES, to educate young people and their families about TEA.”
According to Scott, because young people don’t always disclose when they’re experiencing violence, incorporating economic abuse into school health classes, college prep courses, job readiness training and other touchstones could help build universal awareness of TEA.
In collaboration with young people, FUTURES has created resources for parents, educators and teens to use in conversations, classes and programs. According to van Balen, these resources are being disseminated widely to raise awareness, educate and disrupt TEA throughout the country.
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