Abstract
Dating health interventions that target the complex, multi-systemic spheres in which adolescents experience their first romantic relationships are required. This study utilizes an ecodevelopmental approach to better understand Mexican American and European American youths' perceptions of how peers, parents, school, and the media act both independently and collectively to affect their dating lives, also elucidating how such systems are at times in conflict. Seventy-five middle adolescents participated in focus groups divided by gender and ethnicity to uncover differences and similarities within and across groups. Findings underscore the importance and widespread effects of romantic relationships for adolescents' social development and the need for intervention programs that target multiple points of intervention while attending to mesosystemic conflicts across systems. Copyright Taylor & Francis.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 358-376 |
Number of pages | 19 |
Journal | Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment |
Volume | 24 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 2014 |
Keywords
- Adolescence
- culture
- media
- parenting
- peers
- qualitative
- romantic relationships
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Anthropology
- Social Sciences (miscellaneous)