€Œâ¿Y Tu Novio? Where’s Your Boyfriend?â€�: Latinas’ Narratives of Teen Dating Experiences

Background and Purpose: Teen dating experiences have the potential to positively or negatively impact psychosocial well-being into adulthood, making this an important area of inquiry. Research has shown that for Latinx teens, the cultural and family context play a salient role in shaping early romantic development. However, the majority of research related to Latina young people’s dating experiences has focused on understanding and addressing their vulnerability to teen dating violence (TDV), rather than examining their teen dating experiences more broadly. To address this gap in the literature, this qualitative research explored Latinas’ teen dating experiences through their own perspectives to further understanding of the family, cultural, and societal factors that influence their teen dating experiences and may contribute to the disproportionate rates of TDV among this population. We use a feminist theoretical perspective to draw connections between societal gender inequalities and Latinas’ teen dating experiences.

Methods: We applied a critical narrative inquiry methodology to conduct in-depth narrative interviews with participants, following protocols approved by the IRB. A purposive sample of twenty-five Latinas of diverse national backgrounds between the ages of 18-23 was drawn from the New York City (NYC) metropolitan area. Narrative interviews focused on eliciting participants’ retrospective accounts of their teen dating experiences were conducted and audio-recorded over Zoom, and lasted an average of 60 minutes. We employed an inductive and iterative analytic process that combined holistic- and categorical-content approaches to identify themes within and across narratives. To enhance rigor, each participant received a copy of her transcript and a summary of results for member-checking.

Results: We identified four overarching themes across participant narratives, as well as several sub-themes: (1) cultural expectations and norms, with sub-themes (a) serious, long-lasting relationships, and (b) family approval and involvement; (2) parents’ rules and expectations, with sub-themes (a) avoiding physical intimacy, and (b) promoting goal attainment; (3) covert relationships; and (4) violence and control, with sub-themes (a) age and power differentials, and (b) hiding the abuse. Gender dynamics seemed to play a major role in shaping the family, cultural, and societal factors that impacted Latina teens’ dating experiences.

Conclusions and Implications: Rooted in the voices and perspectives of participants, this study’s findings highlight the importance of considering the family, cultural, and social context in examinations of Latina teens’ dating experiences, with particular attention to how gendered power dynamics shape Latina teens’ dating experiences across multiple levels. Future research is needed to better understand the role that heteropatriarchal cultural norms play in increasing Latinas’ vulnerability to TDV. The inclusion of culturally-specific concepts and their connection to dating violence within relationship education programming might increase its relevance and applicability to Latina teens and may reduce the prevalence of TDV within this population. Our findings also suggest that interventions that empower Latinx parents to provide effective relationship support to Latina teens may be a promising pathway to promoting healthy teen dating expectations and dynamics.