Authors
Jennifer Connolly, Wendy Craig, Adele Goldberg, Debra Pepler
Publication date
2004/6
Journal
Journal of research on adolescence
Volume
14
Issue
2
Pages
185-207
Publisher
Blackwell Publishing
Description
This study examined dating‐stage and developmental‐contextual models of romantic relationships during early adolescence. Same‐gender friendships, affiliation with mixed‐gender groups, dating, and romantic relationships were investigated in a sample of 1,284 young adolescents of diverse ethnocultural backgrounds. Data were collected cross‐sectionally in Grades 5 through 8, as well as longitudinally in the fall and spring of an academic year. Consistent with a stage model, affiliation with mixed‐gender groups and dating were qualitatively distinct activities that were sequentially organized and facilitated the progression from same‐gender friendships to dyadic romantic relationships. The results also provide insights on how the developmental context may alter stage pathways: Dating activities were incorporated with mixed‐gender affiliations, group‐based romantic stages showed more stability than other …
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Scholar articles
J Connolly, W Craig, A Goldberg, D Pepler - Journal of research on adolescence, 2004