Notes that much has been written on adolescent sexual intimacy, whereas little has been said about the issue of mature, appropriate, interpersonal emotional intimacy. Addresses this issue of emotional intimacy and calls for emotional education in addition to sex education. (Author/NB)

Presents relationship maturity, developmental conception of intimacy, as unifying conceptual framework for understanding intimate involvement of adolescence as part of major developmental process. Examines specific context of intimacy in adolescence, role of gender in intimacy development, interplay of identity and intimacy development, and…

Discusses the conclusion of a romantic relationship as a significant loss for adolescents. Maintains that the grief response initiated by this loss is frequently disenfranchised by adults and peers. Outlines adolescent grief symptomatology as well as strategies for surviving a loss. (Author/PVV)

Children and adolescents who are diagnosed as conduct disordered and violent have less physically intimate relationships. This may be a factor in the development of their disorder. Physical contact treatments like massage therapy may help reduce their aggressive behavior and normalize their EEG and biochemical profiles. (Contains 79 references.)…

Explores individual developmental and family system factors associated with running away. In model presented, ability of youth to successfully individuate is tied to overarching tolerances for autonomy and intimacy that exist within family system. Running away, in this perspective, is viewed as conflict-induced effort on the part of youth to…

Explores feelings of loneliness and fear of intimacy among college students (N=80) as a function of whether or not they were taught to trust strangers during childhood. Results show that those who were taught not to trust strangers had a greater fear of intimacy. Female participants experienced more loneliness than their male counterparts. (MKA)

Examined differential impact of premarital relationship dimensions on sexual expression among 54 monogamously dating adolescent couples. Couples retrospectively responded to measures of love, conflict, maintenance behaviors, ambivalence, relationship satisfaction, and sexual intimacy for four stages of dating. Found conflict played major role in…

Examined affiliation need and interpersonal closeness in college students (n=74). Need for social comparison declined with age for both sexes; females were more attached to their partners than were males. For females only, adolescents' need for stimulation peaked around age 18 or 19 and then declined, and need for emotional support declined in…

Eleventh- and twelfth-grade adolescents (N=18) were videotaped during same-sex and opposite-sex interactions. In both grades, females felt more comfortable during same-sex interactions and rated their same-sex partners more positively than did males. Females in both grades and eleventh-grade males showed more peer intimacy than did twelfth-grade…

Asserts that heterosexual sexual involvement in the contemporary college population is often sporadic, episodic, without commitment, and accompanied by deliberate effort of both partners to suppress tender, romantic feelings and intimacy. Suggests the sources of this situation lie in changes in the ethos, the ascent of women, advances in…

Investigates whether sports involvement is related to social and psychological well being in American adolescents as it has found to be in Icelandic adolescents. High school students (N=89) provided data concerning sports involvement, depression, intimacy with parents and friends, and grade point average. Results show that moderate sports…

Examined perceived relationships between pregnant and nonpregnant teenage girls and their mothers (n=52 mother-daughter dyads). Nonpregnant daughters and their mothers felt significantly more intimacy toward each other than did pregnant daughters and their mothers. Correlations of mother and daughter scores revealed that intimacy scores of mothers…

Proposes a perspective for understanding the development of adolescent sexual intimacy. Describes a "transitional stage" in which adolescents, driven by developmental needs, experiment with sexual behaviors, and which results in the ability to achieve "relational" sexual intimacy when completed. Discusses problems and implications for counseling…

Societal trends indicate ambivalent attitudes about marriage, specifically a greater acceptance of divorce and nontraditional living arrangements. This paper examines adolescent attitudes toward marriage and their association with premarital sexual activity and cohabitation. Recommendations for helping adolescents understand the realities of…

Examined the influence of parent-adolescent intimacy on adolescent functioning. Found no significant differences between males and females on the measures of self-esteem, problem behavior or intimacy; however, mothers shared greater degrees of intimacy than did fathers for both male and female adolescents. Father intimacy was a greater predictor…