title: The role of close friends in African American adolescents' dating and sexual behavior.
abstract: This study examined the role of close friends in the sexual lives of African American adolescents. Fifteen African American adolescents residing in an urban neighborhood participated in individual in-depth qualitative interviews. The findings suggest that close friends play a critical role in the dating and sexual behaviors of inner-city African American adolescents, as they appear to serve as socializing agents that impact how adolescents conceptualize and socially construct dating and sexual roles and behaviors. Close friends also play a significant role in acquiring new dating and sexual partners and in determining the course of dating and sexual relationships. Although females and males expressed similar expectations regarding sexual fidelity and condom use, they differed with regard to their method and process of talking with friends about dating and sex, their shared social constructions about dating and sexual roles and expectations, and their perceptions of the meaning of dating. We discuss the implications of the findings in terms of involving close friends in interventions focused on improving the sexual health of African American adolescents. Future directions for research with African American adolescents and sexuality are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, DePaul University, 2219 N. Kenmore Ave., Chicago, IL 60614, USA. gharper@depaul.edu
authors.forename: Gary W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Harper
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gannon
authors.forename: Susan G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Catania
authors.forename: M Margaret
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Dolcini
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001294:Attitude to Health; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003268:Contraception Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D033262:Narration; D011203:Poverty; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data