TY - JOUR
T1 - The (Mal) Adaptive Value of Mid-Adolescent Dating Relationship Labels
AU - Howard, Donna E.
AU - Debnam, Katrina J.
AU - Cham, H. J.
AU - Czinn, Anna
AU - Aiken, Nancy
AU - Jordan, Jessica
AU - Goldman, Rachel
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding for this research was provided by a Seed Grant from the University of Maryland College Park, School of Public Health. Appreciation is expressed to the young women who shared their insights with us and the community and school personnel who made this study possible. We would also like to extend gratitude to the editors and anonymous reviewers whose suggestions greatly enhanced this manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.
PY - 2015/6/1
Y1 - 2015/6/1
N2 - The aim of this study was to explore adolescent dating relationships through the prism of high school girls’ narratives. We probed the contexts and meanings associated with different forms of dating to better understand the developmental significance of romantic relationships during adolescence. Cross-sectional, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 high school females. The analytic approach was phenomenological and grounded in the narratives rather than based on an a priori theoretical framework. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim by research staff and entered into ATLAS.ti 6, a qualitative data-management software package, prior to analysis. Teen relationships were found to vary along a Dis-Continuum from casual hookups to “official” boyfriend/girlfriend. There was a lack of consensus, and much ambiguity, as to the substantive meaning of different relationships. Labeling dating relationships seem to facilitate acquisition of important developmental needs such as identity, affiliation, and status, while attempting to manage cognitive dissonance and emotional disappointments. Findings underscore the confusion and complexity surrounding contemporary adolescent dating. Adolescent girls are using language and social media to assist them in meeting developmental goals. Sometimes their dating labels are adaptive, other times they are a cause of stress, or concealment of unmet needs and thwarted desires. Programs focused on positive youth development need to resonate with the realities of teens’ lives and more fully acknowledge the complicated dynamics of teen dating relationships and how they are formalized, publicized and negotiated.
AB - The aim of this study was to explore adolescent dating relationships through the prism of high school girls’ narratives. We probed the contexts and meanings associated with different forms of dating to better understand the developmental significance of romantic relationships during adolescence. Cross-sectional, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 high school females. The analytic approach was phenomenological and grounded in the narratives rather than based on an a priori theoretical framework. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim by research staff and entered into ATLAS.ti 6, a qualitative data-management software package, prior to analysis. Teen relationships were found to vary along a Dis-Continuum from casual hookups to “official” boyfriend/girlfriend. There was a lack of consensus, and much ambiguity, as to the substantive meaning of different relationships. Labeling dating relationships seem to facilitate acquisition of important developmental needs such as identity, affiliation, and status, while attempting to manage cognitive dissonance and emotional disappointments. Findings underscore the confusion and complexity surrounding contemporary adolescent dating. Adolescent girls are using language and social media to assist them in meeting developmental goals. Sometimes their dating labels are adaptive, other times they are a cause of stress, or concealment of unmet needs and thwarted desires. Programs focused on positive youth development need to resonate with the realities of teens’ lives and more fully acknowledge the complicated dynamics of teen dating relationships and how they are formalized, publicized and negotiated.
KW - Adolescence
KW - Dating relationships
KW - Development
KW - Female
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/84940000711
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/84940000711#tab=citedBy
U2 - 10.1007/s10935-015-0387-2
DO - 10.1007/s10935-015-0387-2
M3 - Article
C2 - 25732189
AN - SCOPUS:84940000711
SN - 0278-095X
VL - 36
SP - 187
EP - 203
JO - Journal of Primary Prevention
JF - Journal of Primary Prevention
IS - 3
ER -