Diverse aspects of dating: associations with psychosocial functioning from early to middle adolescence

doi:10.1006/jado.2001.0410

Journal of Adolescence

Volume 24, Issue 3, June 2001, Pages 313-336

https://doi.org/10.1006/jado.2001.0410 Get rights and content

Abstract

Theories imply that some aspects of adolescent dating behavior will be associated with individuals' positive psychosocial functioning, while other aspects will be associated with problems. This study addressed associations between diverse aspects of dating at age 16 and: (1) individual and social functioning at age 12 and at age 16; and (2) change in psychosocial functioning from age 12 to age 16. Controlling for physical maturity, overinvolvement in dating at age 16 was associated with poorer psychosocial functioning in early and middle adolescence and also predicted declines in functioning between the two ages. Level of dating experience and quality of romantic relationships were associated with social adaptation at age 16, especially in the friendship and dating domains.

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Citation Excerpt :
In addition, breakup experiences significantly undermined adolescent adjustment through their (temporary) negative influence on adolescents' academic performance and mood. These findings are mostly in line with findings from previous studies on the negative consequences of early dating (Chen et al., 2009; Neemann et al., 1995), over-dating (Zimmer-Gembeck & Siebenbruner, 2001) as well as breakup experiences (Hou et al., 2013; Monroe et al., 1999; Rizzo et al., 2006). Interestingly, the effect of breakup seems to be time-bound in that only breakups during the semester had an influence on academic performance, and fresh breakups seemed to have a particularly significant impact on the depressive symptoms compared to more distant ones.
This study explores the effects of romantic involvement and dating behaviors on adolescent academic and psychosocial functioning in Chinese societies, where adolescent dating is generally discouraged and believed to generate adverse outcomes. Adolescents (male = 48.6%; Mean_Age = 15.20 years) from Taiwan (N = 1081) and mainland China (N = 684) were recruited through stratified sampling to complete self-report surveys on their academic performance, depressive symptoms, self-esteem, relationship status, and gender-role beliefs. Adolescents with current or past dating experiences were also asked about specific dating behaviors, such as the onset of dating, number of relationships, and breakup experiences. Approximately one-third of Chinese adolescents surveyed (34.2%) have past or ongoing dating experience, who showed poorer academic performance compared to never-dated teens. In the full sample, single adolescents with past dating experiences reported greater depressive symptoms than those currently dating or never-dated teens. Boys with past dating experience showed higher self-esteem than their currently dating or never-dated peers, whereas single girls with past dating experience showed lower self-esteem than their currently dating or never-dated counterparts. Among adolescents with dating experience, early dating, over-dating, sexual activities, and breakup experiences can undermine their academic and psychosocial well-being. These findings have significant implications for practice and policy regarding adolescent education and mental health.

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^f1: Reprint requests and correspondence should be addressed to Melanie Zimmer-Gembeck, University of Minnesota, Institute of Child Development, 51 E River Rd, Minneapolis, MN 55455-0345, U.S.A. (E-mail: [email protected]).

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Regular ArticleDiverse aspects of dating: associations with psychosocial functioning from early to middle adolescence

Abstract

Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist/4-18 and 1991 profiles

Manual for the youth self-report and 1991 profile

The impact of timing of puberty on psychosomatic symptoms among fourteen- to sixteen-year old Finnish girls

Child Development

Effects of sexual activity on adolescent social and psychological development

Social Psychology Quarterly

“You're going out with who?”: Peer group influences on adolescent romantic relationships

Intimacy of friendship, interpersonal competence, and adjustment during preadolescence and adolescence

Child Development

Observed and reported psychological and physical aggression in young, at-risk couples

Social Development

Relationships during adolescence: continuity and change in interpersonal perspective

Capacity for intimate relationships: a developmental construction

Adolescents' romantic relationships and the structure and quality of their close interpersonal ties

Personal Relationships

Middle adolescents' dating pathways and psychosocial adjustment

Merrill-Palmer Quarterly

Sexual development, age, and dating: a comparison of biological and social influences upon one set of behaviors

Child Development

The Adolescent experience

The social structure of urban adolescent peer groups

Sociometry

An at-risk approach to the study of child abuse: some preliminary findings

Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry

Predicting peer competence and peer relationships in childhood from early parent-child relationships

Growth and crisis of the healthy personality

Identity, Youth, and Crisis

Concepts of romance in 15-year-old adolescents

Journal of Research on Adolescence

Theory is not a four-letter word: needed directions in the study of adolescent friendships

Age and sex differences in perceptions of networks of personal relationships

Child Development

The Development of Romantic Relationships in Adolescence

Girls' dating behavior as a function of social context and maturation

Developmental Psychology

Adolescent romance and the parent–child relationship: a contextual perspective

Manual for the Adolescent Self-Perception Profile

Self and identity development

Social relationships and their developmental significance

American Psychologist

Adolescent and their friends

Developmental Tasks and Education

Regular Article
Diverse aspects of dating: associations with psychosocial functioning from early to middle adolescence