Symbols and investments as signals: Courtship behaviors in adolescent sexual relationships

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Paik ◽  
Vernon Woodley
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Sexual Intercourse ◽  
Sexual Relationships ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Selection Effects ◽  
Structural Effects ◽  
National Longitudinal Study ◽  
Recursive Bivariate Probit ◽  
Game Theoretic ◽  
Courtship Behaviors

Both structural and cultural arguments suggest that extensive relationship-building behaviors are a precursor to the onset of sexual intercourse. This research develops and tests a game-theoretic signaling framework, which suggests that the association between courtship behaviors and the onset of sexual intercourse should reflect selection effects. To test this framework empirically, this research utilized the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (1994–1996) and estimated probit and recursive bivariate probit models of sexual intercourse. The results showed support for the signaling framework. Extensive use of courtship behaviors was associated with sexual intercourse, but this association reflected the effects of selectivity. However, extensive courtship was more associated with sexual intercourse when adolescents did not know one another well prior to the start of their romantic relationships. These findings suggest that selectivity associated with signaling theory can complement models of cultural influence and structural effects.

scholarly journals Google for Sexual Relationships: Mixed-Methods Study on Digital Flirting and Online Dating Among Adolescent Youth and Young Adults (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Lykens ◽  
Molly Pilloton ◽  
Cara Silva ◽  
Emma Schlamm ◽  
Kate Wilburn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Young People ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Online Dating ◽  
Sexual Relationships ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Health Programs ◽  
Online Spaces ◽  
Sexual Exploration

BACKGROUND According to a 2015 report from the Pew Research Center, nearly 24% of teens go online almost constantly and 92% of teens are accessing the internet daily; consequently, a large part of adolescent romantic exploration has moved online, where young people are turning to the Web for romantic relationship-building and sexual experience. This digital change in romantic behaviors among youth has implications for public health and sexual health programs, but little is known about the ways in which young people use online spaces for sexual exploration. An examination of youth sexual health and relationships online and the implications for adolescent health programs has yet to be fully explored. OBJECTIVE Although studies have documented increasing rates of sexually transmitted infections and HIV among young people, many programs continue to neglect online spaces as avenues for understanding sexual exploration. Little is known about the online sexual health practices of young people, including digital flirting and online dating. This study explores the current behaviors and opinions of youth throughout online sexual exploration, relationship-building, and online dating, further providing insights into youth behavior for intervention opportunities. METHODS From January through December 2016, an exploratory study titled TECHsex used a mixed-methods approach to document information-seeking behaviors and sexual health building behaviors of youth online in the United States. Data from a national quantitative survey of 1500 youth and 12 qualitative focus groups (66 youth) were triangulated to understand the experiences and desires of young people as they navigate their sexual relationships through social media, online chatting, and online dating. RESULTS Young people are using the internet to begin sexual relationships with others, including dating, online flirting, and hooking up. Despite the fact that dating sites have explicit rules against minor use, under 18 youth are using these products regardless in order to make friends and begin romantic relationships, albeit at a lower rate than their older peers (19.0% [64/336] vs 37.8% [440/1163], respectively). Nearly 70% of youth who have used online dating sites met up with someone in person (44.78% [30/67] under 18 vs 74.0% [324/438] over 18). Focus group respondents provided further context into online sexual exploration; many learned of sex through pornography, online dating profiles, or through flirting on social media. Social media played an important role in vetting potential partners and beginning romantic relationships. Youth also reported using online dating and flirting despite fears of violence or catfishing, in which online profiles are used to deceive others. CONCLUSIONS Youth are turning to online spaces to build sexual relationships, particularly in areas where access to peers is limited. Although online dating site use is somewhat high, more youth turn to social media for online dating. Sexual relationship-building included online flirting and online dating websites and/or apps. These findings have implications for future sexual health programs interested in improving the sexual health outcomes of young people. Researchers may be neglecting to include social media as potential sources of youth hookup culture and dating. We implore researchers and organizations to consider the relationships young people have with technology in order to more strategically use these platforms to create successful and youth-centered programs to improve sexual health outcomes.

Empathy and Romantic Relationship Quality Among Cohabitating Couples

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 208-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilio C. Ulloa ◽  
Julia F. Hammett ◽  
Nicole A. Meda ◽  
Salvador J. Rubalcaba
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Married Couples ◽  
Dyadic Data Analysis ◽  
Dyadic Data ◽  
National Longitudinal Study ◽  
Partner Effect ◽  
Romantic Relationship Quality

This study employed a dyadic data analysis approach to examine the association between partners’ empathy and relationship quality among cohabitating couples. Data were collected from 374 cohabitating but nonmarried couples who were participants in the Wave 3 romantic pairs subsample of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Men’s higher empathy was related to their own perceptions of better relationship quality and women’s higher empathy was related to their own as well as their partner’s perceptions of better relationship quality. These findings show that individuals’ abilities to be understanding, compassionate, and sympathetic may be related to the overall feeling of satisfaction and love in romantic relationships. The only effect that did not reach statistical significance was the partner effect from men’s empathy to women’s relationship quality. Although previous research with married couples has shown that men’s empathy may play a more important role in shaping couples’ perceptions of relationship quality, according to the current findings, these findings may not extend to cohabitating couples. The current results provide beneficial guidance to clinicians working with distressed, nonmarried couples.

The Democracy of Dating: How Political Affiliations Shape Relationship Formation

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Matthew J. Easton ◽  
John B. Holbein
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
The Political ◽  
Relationship Formation ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Survey Experiments ◽  
The Usa

Abstract How much does politics affect relationship building? Previous experimental studies have come to vastly different conclusions – ranging from null to truly transformative effects. To explore these differences, this study replicates and extends previous research by conducting five survey experiments meant to expand our understanding of how politics does/does not shape the formation of romantic relationships. We find that people, indeed, are influenced by the politics of prospective partners; respondents evaluate those in the political out-group as being less attractive, less dateable, and less worthy of matchmaking efforts. However, these effects are modest in size – falling almost exactly in between previous study estimates. Our results shine light on a literature that has, up until this point, produced a chasm in study results – a vital task given concerns over growing levels of partisan animus in the USA and the rapidly expanding body of research on affective polarization.

Feeling Hot Hot Hot

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasha S. Hansen ◽  
Arielle S. Gillman ◽  
Sarah W. Feldstein Ewing ◽  
Angela D. Bryan
Keyword(s):  
Health Behavior ◽  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Sexual Intercourse ◽  
Sexual Behaviors ◽  
Scientific Investigation ◽  
Risky Sexual Behaviors ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Important Health

Sex in one of its many forms is an almost universal human experience. Given its ubiquity and its potential for widespread health impacts, understanding the determinants of sexual behaviors has become a topic of considerable scientific investigation. Sex is often a highly emotionally charged experience, so it is perhaps unsurprising that certain affective states have been shown to be closely tied to particular sexual behaviors. This chapter begins by briefly describing the evidence for why sex should be considered an important health behavior, including the health benefits associated with certain sexual behaviors and risks associated with others, and then outlines the research on some of the affective determinants of sexual behaviors. Specific topics include how emotional states predict sexual intercourse frequency and sexual arousal, the interplay of mood and sex in the context of romantic relationships, and affective determinants of risky sexual behaviors.

scholarly journals Marriage and Mental Health among Young Adults

2012 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy E. Uecker
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Early Marriage ◽  
National Longitudinal Study ◽  
Mental Health Benefits ◽  
The Life Course

Marriage is widely thought to confer mental health benefits, but little is known about how this apparent benefit may vary across the life course. Early marriage, which is nonnormative, could have no, or even negative, mental health consequences for young adults. Using survey data from waves 1 and 3 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health ( n = 11,695), I find that married young adults exhibit levels of psychological distress that are similar to those of young adults in any kind of romantic relationship. Married and engaged young adults also report lower frequency of drunkenness than those who are not in a romantic relationship. Married young adults, especially those who first married at ages 22 to 26, report higher life satisfaction than those in other type of romantic relationships,those in no romantic relationship, and those who married prior to age 22. Explanations for these findings are examined, and their implications are discussed.

Influence of family structure on sexual behavior of Turkish female adolescents

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasemin Tasci ◽  
Berfu Demir ◽  
Muberra Kocak ◽  
Fedi Ercan ◽  
Burak Karadag ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Behavior ◽  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Family Structure ◽  
Sexual Activity ◽  
Sexual Intercourse ◽  
Risky Sexual Behavior ◽  
Romantic Relationship ◽  
Female Adolescents ◽  
Family Structures ◽  
Working Out

Abstract Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the link between romantic relationship and/or sexual activity of adolescents, and family structure. Methods: Medical records of 1087 adolescent girls were evaluated for age, statute (student, working, out-of-school), incidence of romantic relationship and sexual activity, and family structures. Results: Teenager students had significantly less romantic relationships and experience of sexual intercourse than other groups. Parent-adolescent communication was negatively correlated with absence of romantic relationship and sexual intercourse. Conclusion: Adolescents who have left school and are working constitute a population having higher romantic relationships and sexual intercourse experiences compared with the student adolescents. Good relationships with parents were associated with less risky sexual behavior. Close relationships with school delay the onset of sexual activity.

Marital sexual relationships and birth spacing among two Yoruba sub-groups

Africa ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 52 (04) ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence A. Adeokun
Keyword(s):  
Social Development ◽  
Sexual Intercourse ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
Birth Spacing ◽  
Sexual Relationships ◽  
Sexual Practices ◽  
Opening Paragraph

Opening ParagraphThis article is about the marital sexual relationships (MSR) and the timing of the next child among the Ekiti and Ikale sub-groups of the Yoruba. Contrasts in post-partum sexual practices between the two groups allow us to demonstrate the importance of parents' perception of their child's growth and their observance of prohibitions on sexual intercourse during the wife's lactation as factors shaping their decision to have another child. It is argued that the similarity in birth spacing among the two groups, derived from contrasting attitudes to post-partum abstinence, is evidence of an explicit decision on the timing of the next child. Such a decision takes account of the role of the child's growth and social development as it affects adults in the performance of their daily social and economic routines and goes beyond an unquestioned response to quasi-religious taboos. The implications of the findings for fertility prospects are also discussed.

scholarly journals HIV Prevalence and Sexual Behaviour Risk Among Male Regular Partners of Female Sex Workers. A Mixed- Methods Study at a Peri-urban Clinic in Kampala, Uganda

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gertrude Namale ◽  
Onesmus Kamacooko ◽  
Rachel Kawuma ◽  
Daniel Bagiire ◽  
Yunia Mayanja ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Sexual Intercourse ◽  
Sexual Behaviour ◽  
Sex Workers ◽  
Female Sex Workers ◽  
Hiv Prevalence ◽  
Sexual Relationships ◽  
Hiv Care ◽  
Female Sex ◽  
Urban Clinic

Abstract Background: In Uganda, female sex workers (FSWs) and their male partners are estimated to contribute 16% to new HIV infections. We assessed HIV prevalence and associated sexual behaviour risk among male regular partners of FSWs attending a peri-urban clinic in Kampala, Uganda.Methods: Between June 2012 - June 2017, we conducted a mixed methods cross-sectional study among male regular partners (aged ≥18 years old) of FSWs. The men were enrolled through FSWs attending a routine three monthly visit at a research clinic. Eligible and interested men were consented and counselled for parallel rapid HIV testing (Determine, Statpak, Unigold) on a serum sample. HIV-positive men were assessed and enrolled into HIV care and 3 monthly follow up. Data on socio-demographic, sexual behaviour (sexual relationships, condom and alcohol use), and clinical characteristics were collected. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with HIV sero-positivity. In-depth interviews were conducted to elicit information on participants’ knowledge of HIV and its prevention as well as sexual risk practices. Qualitative data was analysed using NVIVO 12.0 following thematic approach.Results: One hundred and sixty-two men were included in the analysis; mean age was 35 years old (SD± 8.43). The overall HIV sero-positivity was 65/162 (40%), of these 57/65 (88%) men were initiated on ART from the clinic. Ninety percent had no signs of sexually transmitted infections (STI), 119/162 (73%) reported not using a condom during last sexual intercourse. At adjusted analysis, HIV sero-positivity was less likely among men with no STI (aOR= 0.21; 95% CI: 0.06-0.70) and using a condom during last sexual intercourse (aOR = 0.39 (95% CI: 0.18-0.85). HIV sero-positivity was more likely among uncircumcised men (aOR=3.10; 95%CI: 1.49-6.45), those with multiple sexual relationships (two or more sexual partners] (aOR= 3.45; 95% CI: 1.59-7.51). Qualitative findings highlight that most participants were not consistently using condoms with FSWs; the main reason given was that they “trusted” their steady FSWs.Conclusions: HIV prevalence among male regular partners was associated with high risk sexual behaviour. Interventions targeting FSWs should be extended to their male regular partners, to enable their access to HIV care and support.

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