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Parents' Management of Adolescents' Romantic Relationships Through Dating Rules: Gender Variations and Correlates of Relationship Qualities

NCJ Number
224232
Journal
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 37 Issue: 9 Dated: October 2008 Pages: 1044-1058
Author(s)
Stephanie D. Madsen
Date Published
October 2008
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study examined parents’ rules regarding their children’s dating activities during late adolescence.
Abstract
The study found that the majority of parents reported using dating rules in order to manage their late adolescents’ dating behaviors. In their roles as supervisors of romantic relationships, most parents use dating rules to gain knowledge about adolescents’ dating activities, prohibit undesirable activities, or prescribe desirable behaviors. Rule-use varied by parents’ and adolescents’ gender. Parents were more likely to use rules to regulate their daughters’ dating activities than their sons’ dating activities. Mothers and fathers differed in their reports of dating rules. Mothers were more likely to report using rules classified as prescription rules (setting expectations regarding the adolescent’s dating activity). The inclusion and degree of use of different types of rules (supervision, restriction, and prescription) were differentially related to the qualities of the parent-adolescent relationship, as well as parents’ own romantic relationships. Parents who were dissatisfied with their own romantic relationships used more prescription rules to manage their adolescents’ dating activities than parents who were satisfied. Study participants were mostly European-American, including 165 mothers or fathers and 103 of their children (ages 17-19; 28 sons and 75 daughters). Parents provided information regarding their use of dating rules; rules were coded by type (supervision, restriction, or prescription) and by the degree of control the rule-set provided. 6 tables and 58 references