Teen Dating Relationships: Understanding and Comparing Youth and Adult Conceptualizations, Final Report

Date

2014

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

U. S. Department of Justice

Abstract

Description

As teen dating violence (TDV) incidence has escalated substantially in recent years, a number of research, practice and policy efforts have been championed in response. One critical challenge in effectively addressing teen dating violence relates to the lack of research that directly considers how youth conceptualize teen dating in the first place, apart from specifically aggressive or violent relationships. Most work in this area is instead guided by professionals' assumptions of adolescents' dating experiences, with little sense of how well these assumptions align with teens' reality. The purpose of this study was to directly engage teens and young adults to better understand how youth conceptualize teen dating relationships, and the extent to which youth conceptualizations comport with those of adults in the field. Group concept mapping was used capture, compare, and visually represent perspectives of teen dating relationships across samples of teens ages 14-18, young adults ages 19-22, and adult professionals. Subsequent facilitated discussions with samples of these three groups augmented the concept map results with additional insight around the complexities and nuances of teen dating relationships, including implications for TDV research and prevention. A single concept map co-authored by youth and adults describe teen dating relationships using 100 ideas, 9 constructs, and 2 conceptual dimensions. Across groups, substantial agreement emerged on the characteristics of teen dating, the interrelationships among those characteristics, and participants’ opinions on their frequency and desirability. Discussions confirmed the validity of the map content and organization, and emphasized the interaction of positive and negative behaviors, emotions, and cognitions in teen dating as highly relevant for TDV initiatives. Youth tend to conceptualize dating relationships as progressing through "stages," and note generally difficulties in maintaining self-awareness while in a romantic relationship. The salience of peer networks and the high school environment were also highly relevant to youth conceptualizations, while both youth and professionals observed a general disconnect in how youth and adults communicate around dating relationships. The results of this project strongly suggest that research and programming efforts focus on the confluence of positive and negative dating aspects in shaping youth's ability to recognize unhealthy dating characteristics, and embrace a more multidimensional, contextually and temporally sensitive approach to work in the field. The resultant framework provides a robust basis for ongoing work in this area that directly reflects the experiences and vernacular of teens and young adults.

Keywords

teen dating violence, research,

Citation

U. S. Department of Justice (2014). Teen Dating Relationships: Understanding and Comparing Youth and Adult Conceptualizations, Final Report. Washington, DC: Author.

DOI