RESUMO
Romantic relationships can positively affect adolescent development. However, adolescents may not always have a clear understanding of what healthy dating looks like, which may place some adolescents at risk for dating violence. The present study examined the following research questions: (1) What are adolescents' perceptions of healthy and unhealthy attributes of romantic relationships? (2) How do adolescents perceive jealousy and potentially controlling behaviors? (3) What is the relationship between adolescents' attitudes towards jealousy and controlling behaviors and their willingness to intervene in a peer's unhealthy romantic relationship? The study included a predominantly female, ethnically diverse sample of 72 adolescents (M = 17.5 years) who participated in an internet-based health promotion intervention that allowed peers and health educators to interact. Adolescents commented on message boards and completed a survey. Findings showed that adolescents can articulate both healthy and unhealthy romantic relationship attributes. Some adolescents struggled to understand relationship attributes including jealousy and possessiveness, as these behaviors can be perceived as expressions of strong romantic interest. Adolescents may benefit from programs that strengthen healthy dating behaviors, teach youth to distinguish healthy from unhealthy behaviors, address conflict in respectful ways, and tactfully intervene when they witness abusive behaviors in the relationships of others.
RESUMO
Social capital provides young people with a web of supportive relationships that can be leveraged in pursuit of education, career, and life goals. Organized activities, an umbrella term for extracurricular activities, after-school programs, and youth development programs, are important developmental contexts for building social capital. The purpose of this study was to illuminate the developmental pathway through which social capital development occurs in organized activities. A qualitative meta-synthesis was conducted using 33 articles that met inclusion criteria across five databases (e.g., ERIC, PsycINFO) between June 2022 and May 2023. Thematic analysis was used to identify malleable organized activity features that act as levers for social capital promotion. Seven thematically aligned features were identified, including (1) organizational partnerships, (2) organizational supporting structures, (3) relationally strong climate, (4) staff mindsets and skills, (5) youth mindsets and skills, (6) increased social capital opportunities, and (7) increased social capital activation. These seven themes were used to construct an empirically-grounded model that posits a process through which organized activities support youth social capital development. Implications for intentionally strengthening organized activities' capacity to support youth social capital are discussed.