IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/cysrev/v35y2013i7p1110-1117.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Friends with benefits or “friends” with deficits? The meaning and contexts of uncommitted sexual relationships among Mexican American and European American adolescents

Author

Listed:
  • Williams, Lela Rankin
  • Adams, Heidi L.

Abstract

Using focus groups, this study sought to understand and compare how Mexican American (n=41, M=16.0years old, SD=.96) and European American (n=34, M=16.1years old, SD=.64) youths conceptualize and experience “friends with benefits” relationships (FWBRs). Contrary to the implied nature of friendship, partners did not show caring and viewed FWBRs as a means to meet sexual needs. The “benefits” of this arrangement included guilt-free pleasure, little responsibility, the freedom to date others, or to remain available for a more desirable partner. The inherent deficits of FWBRs, on the other hand, included the potential pitfall of getting emotionally attached. Despite the recognized deficits, European American and Mexican American girls both desired and participated in FWBRs. However, Mexican American girls described more committed “going-out” relationships as ideal, which left them vulnerable to mismatched expectations and emotional upset in FWBRs. Findings outline the socio-emotional contexts of adolescent involvement in FWBRs, as well as underscore the potential for conflicting desires. Recommendations for healthy relationship and sexual health programs are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Williams, Lela Rankin & Adams, Heidi L., 2013. "Friends with benefits or “friends” with deficits? The meaning and contexts of uncommitted sexual relationships among Mexican American and European American adolescents," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(7), pages 1110-1117.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:35:y:2013:i:7:p:1110-1117
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2013.04.023
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740913001461
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.childyouth.2013.04.023?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Adams, Heidi L. & Williams, Lela Rankin, 2011. "Advice from teens to teens about dating: Implications for healthy relationships," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 254-264, February.
    2. Fortenberry, J.D. & Tu, W. & Harezlak, J. & Katz, B.P. & Orr, D.P., 2002. "Condom use as a function of time in new and established adolescent sexual relationships," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 92(2), pages 211-213.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yasamin Kusunoki & Dawn Upchurch, 2011. "Contraceptive Method Choice Among Youth in the United States: The Importance of Relationship Context," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 48(4), pages 1451-1472, November.
    2. McElwain, Alyssa & Finnegan, Vanessa & Whittaker, Angela & Kerpelman, Jennifer & Adler-Baeder, Francesca & Duke, Adrienne, 2016. "Evaluation and lessons learned from an undergraduate service learning course providing youth-focused relationship education," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 116-124.
    3. Marlène Guillon & Josselin Thuilliez, 2015. "HIV and Rational risky behaviors: a systematic review of published empirical literature (1990-2013)," Documents de travail du Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne 15065, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1), Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne.
    4. repec:hal:wpaper:halshs-01222571 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Wendy Manning & Peggy Giordano & Monica Longmore & Christine Flanigan, 2012. "Young Adult Dating Relationships and the Management of Sexual Risk," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 31(2), pages 165-185, April.
    6. Peter Todd & Thomas Hills & Andrew Hendrickson, 2013. "Modeling reproductive decisions with simple heuristics," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 29(24), pages 641-662.
    7. Adams, Heidi L. & Williams, Lela Rankin, 2011. "What they wish they would have known: Support for comprehensive sexual education from Mexican American and White adolescents' dating and sexual desires," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(10), pages 1875-1885, October.
    8. Jennifer Manlove & Suzanne Ryan & Kerry Franzetta, 2007. "Contraceptive use patterns across teens’ sexual relationships: The role of relationships, partners, and sexual histories," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 44(3), pages 603-621, August.
    9. McElwain, Alyssa & McGill, Julianne & Savasuk-Luxton, Rachel, 2017. "Youth relationship education: A meta-analysis," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 499-507.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:35:y:2013:i:7:p:1110-1117. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.