Intimate Relationships as Perceived by Adolescents: Concepts and Meanings

Isabel Moreira, Maria Fernandes, Armando Silva, Cristina Veríssimo, Maria Leitão, Luísa Filipe and Maria Sá
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Isabel Moreira: Unidade de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde: Enfermagem, 3004-011 Coimbra, Portugal
Maria Fernandes: Unidade de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde: Enfermagem, 3004-011 Coimbra, Portugal
Armando Silva: Unidade de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde: Enfermagem, 3004-011 Coimbra, Portugal
Cristina Veríssimo: Unidade de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde: Enfermagem, 3004-011 Coimbra, Portugal
Maria Leitão: Unidade de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde: Enfermagem, 3004-011 Coimbra, Portugal
Luísa Filipe: Unidade de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde: Enfermagem, 3004-011 Coimbra, Portugal
Maria Sá: Unidade de Investigação em Ciências da Saúde: Enfermagem, 3004-011 Coimbra, Portugal

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 5, 1-13

Abstract: Adolescence is a period of great changes and the assumption of risk behaviours at the level of sexuality may have implications for health and well-being. Nowadays, adolescents live free from constraints and prioritise freedom, using their own terminology to label their relationships, it becoming in turn important to conceptualise intimacy relationships from their perspective. Therefore, a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory study was performed. Participants included 109 adolescents aged 14 and 18 years old from public schools in central Portugal. Data were collected using 12 focus groups and a content analysis was undertaken. These terms attributed to intimate relationships by adolescents are, for the most part, mutual for both genders: crush, friendzone, friends with benefits, making out, dating, and similar in terms of meaning. In an intimate relationship, adolescents give priority to factors such as respect, trust, and love. The fear of loneliness, obsession, and low self-esteem are reasons pointed out by adolescents for maintaining an unhealthy intimate relationship. Adolescents’ knowledge of language about their intimate relationships is essential to establish effective communication and to build intervention programs in the healthy intimacy relationships field.

Keywords: intimate relationships; adolescent; dating; friends with benefits; primary prevention; health promotion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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