The Relationship Between Dating Status and Academic and Social Functioning in Middle Adolescence

Dating and friendships in adolescence: Variation across same‐sex and other‐sex romantic partners

“…Adolescents' number of same‐sex friends and overall friends increased when they had an other‐sex partner, compared to times when they were single. This finding is consistent with past research, which has demonstrated associations between dating and being well‐liked by peers (Furman et al, 2009; Furman & Rose, 2015; Miller et al, 2009; Ryjova et al, 2021; Savickaitė et al, 2019). Forming other‐sex romantic relationships is a common, culturally accepted event that aligns with heteronormative cultural scripts about adolescent development and relationship formation, such that other‐sex dating acts as a signal of social success and peer attractiveness.…”

“…This research adds to a body of knowledge on how dating serves as a risk and/or protective factor for adolescents' well-being. For adolescents in mixed-sex relationships, our findings add to existing research indicating that dating is associated with positive social outcomes (Furman et al, 2009;Furman & Rose, 2015;Miller et al, 2009;Ryjova et al, 2021;Savickaitė et al, 2019). For sexual minority adolescents, our findings expand on past research indicating that dating is protective against depression, alcohol use, and illicit drug use (Whitton et al, 2018a(Whitton et al, , 2018b.…”

“…Forming romantic relationships is an important developmental task of adolescence, but also one that likely differs substantially between heterosexual and sexual minority youth. For adolescents with other‐sex partners, dating is associated with numerous positive outcomes, including increased social status (Furman et al, 2009; Furman & Rose, 2015; Miller et al, 2009; Ryjova et al, 2021; Savickaitė et al, 2019). However, the association between dating and peer relationships for adolescents with same‐sex partners is unknown.…”

“…In cross‐sectional research, adolescents with romantic partners tend to be more well‐liked than their single peers (Furman et al, 2009; Furman & Rose, 2015; Miller et al, 2009; Savickaitė et al, 2019). In a longitudinal study, Ryjova et al (2021) found that, for Asian American but not Hispanic adolescents, abstaining from dating was associated with worse future peer status.…”