Teen Perspectives on Romantic Relationshipsresearch Brief Publication #2009-44 4301 Connecticut Avenue, Nw, Suite 350, Washington, Dc 20008 Phone 202-572-6000 Fax 202-362-8420 Www.Childtrends.Org Telling It Like It Is:
RESEARCH BRIEF
Publication #2009-44 4301 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 350, Washington, DC 20008
Phone 202-572-6000 Fax 202-362-8420 www.childtrends.org
Telling It Like It Is:
Teen Perspectives on Romantic Relationships
By Lina Guzman, Ph.D., Erum Ikramullah, B.A./B.S., Jennifer Manlove, Ph.D., Kristen Peterson, B.A., and Harriet J. Scarupa, M.S. October 2009
Overview. Teen romantic relationships have become a pervasive part of popular culture, from TV shows, movies, and books to blogs and social networking sites. But the attention paid to these rela- tionships extends beyond the parameters of popular culture. Romance, teen style, has become of increasing interest to anyone concerned with healthy adolescent development—with good reason. The initi- ation of romantic relationships represents a key developmental task of adolescence. Research suggests that several critical dimensions of adolescent romantic and sexual relationships—such as how teens define the different types of relationships, how serious they consider these relationships, and how they communicate within them—may influence when teens first have sex and whether they use contraception. In turn, these considerations have a bearing on teens’ risks of having or fathering a child or of acquiring a sexually transmitted infection (STI).6,9,13,16 Moreover, relationship habits and patterns developed during adoles- cence can affect later adult relationships,2,8 a finding that highlights the importance of developing healthy relationship behaviors during the teen years.
The majority of teens in high school have been involved in a romantic relationship,2 and almost one-half of high school-aged teens report that they have had at least one sexual experience.4 Learning more about how teens view these relationships can provide insights that help policy makers, program providers, parents, and others promote healthy youth development in general and address the problems of teen pregnancy and STIs in particular.
Publication #2009-44 4301 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 350, Washington, DC 20008
Phone 202-572-6000 Fax 202-362-8420 www.childtrends.org
Telling It Like It Is:
Teen Perspectives on Romantic Relationships
By Lina Guzman, Ph.D., Erum Ikramullah, B.A./B.S., Jennifer Manlove, Ph.D., Kristen Peterson, B.A., and Harriet J. Scarupa, M.S. October 2009
Overview. Teen romantic relationships have become a pervasive part of popular culture, from TV shows, movies, and books to blogs and social networking sites. But the attention paid to these rela- tionships extends beyond the parameters of popular culture. Romance, teen style, has become of increasing interest to anyone concerned with healthy adolescent development—with good reason. The initi- ation of romantic relationships represents a key developmental task of adolescence. Research suggests that several critical dimensions of adolescent romantic and sexual relationships—such as how teens define the different types of relationships, how serious they consider these relationships, and how they communicate within them—may influence when teens first have sex and whether they use contraception. In turn, these considerations have a bearing on teens’ risks of having or fathering a child or of acquiring a sexually transmitted infection (STI).6,9,13,16 Moreover, relationship habits and patterns developed during adoles- cence can affect later adult relationships,2,8 a finding that highlights the importance of developing healthy relationship behaviors during the teen years.
The majority of teens in high school have been involved in a romantic relationship,2 and almost one-half of high school-aged teens report that they have had at least one sexual experience.4 Learning more about how teens view these relationships can provide insights that help policy makers, program providers, parents, and others promote healthy youth development in general and address the problems of teen pregnancy and STIs in particular.
References: 1 Abma, J. C., Martinez, G. M., Mosher, W. D., & Dawson, B. S. (2004). Teenagers in the United States: Sexual activity, contraceptive use, and childbearing, 2002. Vital Health Statistics 23(24). Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2008). Sexu- ally transmitted disease surveillance, 2007. Atlanta, GA: Department of Health and Human Services. 4 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2008). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey - United States, 2007 Atlanta, GA. 5 Edin, K., & Kefalas, M. (2005). Promises I can keep: Why poor women put motherhood before marriage. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. 6 Ford, K., Sohn, W., & Lepkowski, J. (2001). Characteris- tics of adolescents ' sexual partners and their association with use of condoms and other contraceptive methods. Family Planning Perspectives, 33(3), 100-105, 132. 7 Fowers, B. J., Bucker, J., Calbeck, K., & Harrigan, P. (2003). How do social scientists define a good marriage? Unpublished manuscript. 9 Giordano, P. C., Manning, W. D., & Longmore, M. (2005). The romantic relationships of African American and white adolescents. The Sociological Quarterly, 46(3), 545-568. 10 Hahn, A. (1999). Extending time of learning. In D. J. Besharov (Ed.), America 's disconnected youth Washington, DC: Child Welfare League of America. 11 Hamilton, B. E., Martin, J. A., & Ventura, S. J. (2009). Births: Preliminary data for 2007. National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 57, No. 12. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 12 Jekielek, S., Moore, K., Hair, E. C., & Scarupa, H. J. (2002, February). Mentoring: A promising strategy for youth development (Research Brief). Washington, DC: Child Trends. 13 Manlove, J., Ryan, S., & Franzetta, K. (2007). Contracep- tive use patterns across teens ' sexual relationships: The role of relationships, partners, and sexual histories. Demogra- phy, 44(3), 603-621. 15 Moretti, M. M., Obsuth, I., Odgers, C. L., & Reebye, P. (2006). Exposure to maternal vs. paternal partner violence, PTSD, and aggression in adolescent girls and boys. Aggressive Behavior, 32(4), 385-395. 17 Terzian, M., Giesen, L., & Mbwana, K. (2009, July). Why teens are not involved in out-of-school time programs: The youth perspective (Research-to-Results brief). Washington, D.C.: Child Trends.