Toscano interviewed 22 female high school students ages 15 to 18 years old from Massachusetts schools and found that dating patterns have several identifiable stages. Girls choose boyfriends from within a circle of friends. As a couple gets to know one another, their first few dates are with other couples within their clique. Then the two reenters the group as a couple. After a couple breaks up, the two rejoin the group as independent members.
"In the early stages of dating, the entire group (circle) will go out to the movies or some other activity together," Toscano said. "During such outings, teens develop essential skills of dating, including but not limited to warding off unwanted sexual advances."When a teen is unsure of whether she is in an abusive relationship, she can ask for a "reality check" from the members of her group. In this way, she protects herself by understanding social rules and norms.
The Center for Disease Control estimates that one in eleven adolescents experiences physical dating abuse every year. Toscano's study appears in the journal BMC Nursing.
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Labels: dating, relationships, friends
Posted By: Aspen Education Group