Purpose The purpose of the present study was to examine whether cognitive distortions (e.g., cognitive errors; negative views of self, world, and future) influence the association between dating violence and problematic substance use behaviors in a sample of psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents. Method Participants included 155 adolescents, aged 13–17 years, who had initiated dating. Adolescents completed measures of dating violence, substance‐related problems (alcohol and marijuana), and cognitive distortions. Results Logistic regressions were conducted to examine the direct and interactive effects of dating violence exposure and cognitive distortions on likelihood of recent problematic substance use. Results suggested a main effect of dating violence on problematic alcohol and other drug use as well as an interactive effect of dating violence and cognitive distortions. Specifically, the relationship between dating violence and odds of substance‐related problems was higher among those with greater (vs. fewer) cognitive distortions. Conclusion Study results suggest the need for careful screening of cognitive distortions among adolescent dating violence victims, particularly those in mental health treatment.