Multiple abusers for teenage sex victims.

• Position: YOUR LIFE

More than one-third of young adults who report being victims of dating violence as teenagers have had two or more abusive partners, suggests a study published in BMC Public Health. The study involved college students who recalled dating violence--including physical, sexual, and psychological abuse--from ages 13 to 19. Overall, nearly two-thirds of both men and women reported some type of abuse during their teenage years, which falls in line with other studies.

However, it was surprising how many teen victims had two or more abusive partners, reveals Amy Bonomi, lead author of the study. "For about one in three teens who were abused, it wasn't just one bad boyfriend or girlfriend. It may have been at least the start of a trend."

The same patterns are not seen in similar population-based studies of adults, who tend to report abuse by a single partner.

Well more than half of all teen victims report multiple occurrences of abuse, with roughly 15% reporting 20 or more instances of some types of abuse. "For most teens, dating violence is rarely reported as an isolated incident," says Bonomi, an affiliate with the...