Research News You Can Use: Teens and Dating: Tips for Parents and Professionals

Research News You Can Use: Teens and Dating: Tips for Parents and Professionals: "Introduction

Today’s teens face strong pressures to date as well as get involved in a serious relationship (Teenage Research Unlimited, 2006). Although most romantic relationships last less than 5 months among 12 to 14 year-olds, by age 16 relationships last an average of 2 years (Berk, 2005). In the early teen years dating is more superficial – for fun, status among peers, and exploring sexuality. In the older teen years youth are looking for intimacy, companionship, affection, and social support.
What Parents and Adults Need to Know About Teen Dating

Even when teens start dating, they are still not as close with romantic partners as they are with their same-sex friends. Also, the relationships teens have with their parents – especially the degree of support and security they feel in their relationships – influences their having warm and secure feelings about friendship. Having a secure view of friendship is positively related to teens’ security in their romantic relationships (Berk, 2005). In other words, parents influence the quality of teens’ friendships and dating relationships."

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posted by Robert Heard at 2:02 PM