Background: Increased interest in romantic relationship (RR) is central to adolescents’ lives. RR has a significant influence on the emotional well-being of the adolescents and their future life. Objective: The present study aims at understanding the issues and concerns of adolescent girls in RR who come under care and protection issue. Methods: The study adopts a retrospective exploratory research design and analyzed the case reports maintained by psychiatric social workers. Reports elicit the information about the RR, marriage with the romantic partner, reason for run away with the marital partner, etc. Results: Majority of the adolescents run away with their romantic partner to get married and more than three-fourth of the adolescent girls believed that having sexual intercourse with their romantic partner would get their marriage approval and felt that marriage gave them sanction for the sexual relationship. Adolescents were worried about parent’s rejection of their romantic partner and had guilt feeling that they were not able to meet the expectations of parents nor they were able to fulfill the dreams of their parents. Most of the adolescents were also aware that their romantic involvement has been one of the reasons for academic decline; some have to drop out from the schools. Conclusion: It is important to understand the issues of adolescent girls in RR so that it would help us in designing interventions to facilitate developmental needs and for the healthy transition to adulthood.
Increased interest in romantic relationships is central in adolescents' lives and has long been considered defining features of adolescence. Romantic relationships have significant influence on emotional wellbeing of adolescents. In Indian context, scientific literature on adolescent girls in romantic relationship is very minimal and studies focused upon sexuality-related issues and premarital sexual relationship. Due to social and cultural aspects, few adolescent girls who are involved in romantic relationship run away from home. These girls would come under care and protection under many circumstances such as child marriage, teenage pregnancy, sexual abuse, etc. The present study analyses the case reports in understanding the issues of adolescents in RR issues and the process of interventions provided. A total of 50 girls who were in RR were selected for the study Mean age is 16.34 years (SD ± 0.93) with a range of 14-18 years. About 78% were from lower socio economic status. It is important to understand their issues to provide psycho social intervention and facilitate healthy transition to adulthood. This has implication for designing intervention based on development perspective. Always adolescents in romantic relationship are under the conflict over prioritizing between their parents versus their romantic partner, when they forced to choose one.
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