TY - JOUR
T1 - Technology and Dating Among Pregnant and Parenting Youth in Residential Foster Care
T2 - A Mixed Qualitative Approach Comparing Staff and Adolescent Perspectives
AU - Rueda, Heidi Adams
AU - Brown, Megan Lindsay
AU - Geiger, Jennifer M.
N1 - Funding Information:
We would also like to thank Andrew Reding and Chatone Strickland, former graduate research assistants at the Department of Social Work at the University of Texas at San Antonio, for their assistance with coding and computing interrater reliability. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Funding for this research was received through the College of Public Policy at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2019.
PY - 2020/7/1
Y1 - 2020/7/1
N2 - The aim of this study was to explore the role of technology in the dating and sexual experiences of pregnant and parenting adolescent girls placed in residential foster care. Interviews with program staff (N = 12; 50% Hispanic) and focus groups with adolescent foster youth (N = 13; 46% Hispanic) were conducted to understand how technologies (e.g., cell phone, texting, and social media) influence youth’s dating lives, including how youth navigate conflict with a dating partner in technology spaces and their experiences with cyber abuse. Both staff and youth emphasized technology as providing an outlet from the home and forum through which to meet, interact, and sustain intimate relationships, the latter including the father of (a) child(ren). Youth creatively collaborated to access technology and became involved in each other’s relationships. Staff and youth discussed divergent risk contexts, staff emphasizing the risks posed to children (e.g., taken on online dates) and youth discussing online sexual solicitations, conflict with the child(ren)’s father in public and peer-involved online spaces, and cyber abuse. Helping professionals should be trained on the centrality of technology to youth dating and provide dating health education that includes attention to technology mediums.
AB - The aim of this study was to explore the role of technology in the dating and sexual experiences of pregnant and parenting adolescent girls placed in residential foster care. Interviews with program staff (N = 12; 50% Hispanic) and focus groups with adolescent foster youth (N = 13; 46% Hispanic) were conducted to understand how technologies (e.g., cell phone, texting, and social media) influence youth’s dating lives, including how youth navigate conflict with a dating partner in technology spaces and their experiences with cyber abuse. Both staff and youth emphasized technology as providing an outlet from the home and forum through which to meet, interact, and sustain intimate relationships, the latter including the father of (a) child(ren). Youth creatively collaborated to access technology and became involved in each other’s relationships. Staff and youth discussed divergent risk contexts, staff emphasizing the risks posed to children (e.g., taken on online dates) and youth discussing online sexual solicitations, conflict with the child(ren)’s father in public and peer-involved online spaces, and cyber abuse. Helping professionals should be trained on the centrality of technology to youth dating and provide dating health education that includes attention to technology mediums.
KW - cyber abuse
KW - foster care
KW - foster youth
KW - online dating
KW - prevention education
KW - teen dating violence
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U2 - 10.1177/0743558419861087
DO - 10.1177/0743558419861087
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85069809069
SN - 0743-5584
VL - 35
SP - 521
EP - 545
JO - Journal of Adolescent Research
JF - Journal of Adolescent Research
IS - 4
ER -