This age range is more susceptible to influence. Whether it is from the family home or outside sources was disputable. However, some research sources agree with the notion that media has a large hand at fostering abusive relationships. In 2006, Dan Jones & Associates, conducted a study in which researchers tallied a questionnaire given to abuse victims in Utah. The research objective was to accumulate enough information in order to detect what prevalence's could be taken to reduce relationship abuse. The research conducted showed that "Victims (15%) are more likely to say that the media has contributed to domestic violence in their own lives. Now more than similar research that was conducted in 1997. In order to understand exactly how the media is contributing imagery that could be reinforcing potential abusive habits, it must be clearly defined to society what is abuse? The Legal Definition by the United States department of justice (office on violence against women) defines abuse as the following quote:.
"We define domestic violence as a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economical, or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviors that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure, or wound someone. " (Department of Justice) Many abuse victims are young adults and in actuality do not have much exposure to this definition and are unaware that they are in an abusive relationship. The "Love is Respect " organization conducted a survey where, 43% of college women who were dating reported experiencing violent and abusive behaviors during their relationship including physical, sexual, electronic or verbal abuse and claim they did not know until it was pointed out by outside sources.
