We then consider the following more nuanced indicators: (a) “dating” versus “casual” sexual partners (b) relationship churning, which refers to breaking up and getting back together with the same partner, including having sex with an “ex” (c) and involvement in dating relationships that are not sexually exclusive. We initially examine adolescents’ self-reports of their number of dating partners and number of sex partners. Building on prior research, we move beyond these dichotomies by empirically exploring those dating and sexual relationships that overlap and those that do not. As such, researchers coming from different scholarly traditions tend to focus on either adolescent dating or involvement in sexual activity, but often do not consider the convergence, or lack thereof, in these concepts. Although there is overlap, adolescents’ dating and sexual relationships are not synonymous. These relationships loom large in the minds and lives of teenagers ( Brown, 1999 Giordano, Longmore, & Manning, 2006). In contemporary American society, dating and sexual relationships play a key role in adolescent development ( Collins, Welsh, & Furman, 2009 Furman & Rose, in press). Future research should develop more nuanced conceptualizations of adolescent dating and sexual relationships and integrate adolescent dating and sexual experiences into research on early adult well-being. Sexual nonexclusivity during adolescence influenced self-reports of depressive symptoms and lower self-esteem among young adults. Relationship churning and sexual nonexclusivity during adolescence were associated with lower relationship quality during young adulthood. ![]() The number of dating partners with whom the individual was sexually active, and not the number of “casual” sex partners, increased the odds of intimate partner violence during young adulthood. Our analysis of longitudinal data from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study showed that the number of adolescent dating and sexual partners does not uniformly influence indicators of young adult well-being, which is at odds with a risk framework. While building on prior work that emphasizes the “risky” nature of adolescents’ intimate relationships, we assess whether a variety of indicators reflecting the complexity of adolescents’ relationships influence early adult well-being (i.e., depressive symptoms, self-esteem, gainful activity, intimate partner violence, and relationship quality). The complexity of adolescents’ dating and sexual lives is not easily operationalized with simple indicators of dating or sexual activity.
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