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Cited by 16Impact of Technology on AdolescentsAttachment and Relationship DynamicsAdolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health

Adolescents’ Partner Search in the Digital Age: Correlates and Characteristics of Relationships Initiated Online

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Tienda, Marta, Goldberg, Rachel E., Westreich, Jay R.·2022·Journal of Youth and Adolescence
DOI 10.1007/s10964-021-01557-2PMC PMC8881290
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Abstract

Digital technology and social media platforms have transformed the ways adolescents communicate and cultivate romantic relationships, but few studies consider whether relationships initiated online are less salutary than those formed in person. A sample of 531 adolescents (Mean age = 16.7 years, SD = 0.358; 55% female) was recruited from an ongoing birth cohort study and administered bi-weekly diaries over a year to evaluate the circumstances associated with adolescents' romantic relationship formation and relationship quality. Two-thirds of respondents initiated one or more romantic relationships during the study, of which 15% were initiated online. Girls who did not fit in well at school and who had difficulty making friends were more likely to initiate romantic relationships online than their more sociable peers who fit in well at school; for boys, however, access to mobile devices increased the odds that romantic relationships were initiated online. The diaries captured considerable flux in the evolution of romantic relationships, but there was limited evidence that relationships initiated online involved greater risks, with the notable exception of greater age asymmetry.

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Crossref · 10.1007/s10964-021-01557-2

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  • Adolescents extensively use digital technologies to initiate, maintain, and end romantic relationships.

    “they extensively use digital technologies to initiate, maintain, and end romantic relationships (Belotti et al., 2022; Galende et al., 2020; Tienda et al., 2022; Vaterlaus et al., 2018)”

    From Romantic myths and cyber dating violence victimization in Spanish adolescents: A moderated mediation model (2023) · cites this paper as Tienda et al., 2022

    The Discussion says adolescents use digital technology to maintain and dissolve romantic relationships, and the Abstract reports that some relationships were initiated online. But the paper says evidence on the extent of online partner search is limited; only 15% of relationships in its sample were initiated online. It therefore does not establish that adolescents extensively use digital technology for all three purposes. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Tienda, M., Goldberg, R. E., & Westreich, J. R.
Affiliations
  • Princeton University (US)
  • University of California, Irvine (US)
Corresponding author
Tienda, Marta
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Youth and Adolescence
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2022-01-23
Volume
51
Issue
3
Pages
393-408
ISSN
  • 0047-2891 (ISSN-L)
  • 1573-6601
DOI
10.1007/s10964-021-01557-2
PMC
PMC8881290
OpenAlex
W4206981170
Cited by
16
References
7
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 1
FWCI
4.32
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of Youth and Adolescence (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD36916-13-G;R01HD39135, and R01HD40421)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health
Keywords
adolescent romantic relationships, online dating, relationship initiation, social media, digital technologies, relationship quality, peer relationships, mobile devices, gender differences, relationship risk
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Psychology, Adolescent, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Peer Group, Cohort Studies, Friends

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