Do MSW Programs Address Teen Dating Violence Content?

Social workers work in diverse settings with diverse populations including victims and perpetrators of teen dating violence (TDV). This study examined TDV content in MSW programs. A descriptive content analysis of syllabi from 30 specialized intimate partner violence (IPV) and domestic violence (DV) courses in MSW programs and 44 prominent foundation-level textbooks was conducted. Two thirds of syllabi on specialized courses covered TDV to some extent. About 18% of the textbooks mentioned TDV in some form; the majority of textbooks addressing TDV were from human behavior in the social environment courses. Findings suggest that MSW students receive little content on TDV to assist them in working with adolescents experiencing abusive relationships. We provide suggestions for incorporating TDV content into the MSW curriculum.