Intimate Relationship Development and Experiences of African American Adolescents
Presented by: Antoinette Marie Landor, Kameron Sheats, Allen Barton, Ted Futris, Stacey Elizabeth McElroy, Tera Hurt

• The Role of Kinship Networks in the Romantic Relationship Socialization of African American Adolescents

• What Does it Mean to be Committed?:  Perceptions and Contextual Factors Shaping African American Adolescents’ Commitment in Relationships

• Violence all Around me: The Voices of African American Adolescents who Witness and Experience Relational Violence

• The Impact of Relationship Education on the Interpersonal Skills of At-risk Youth

Abstracts

Intimate Relationship Development and Experiences of African American Adolescents

Presented by: Antoinette Marie Landor, Kameron Sheats, Allen Barton, Ted Futris, Stacey Elizabeth McElroy, Tera Hurt

Effects of poverty such as high crime neighborhoods, lowered residential stability, limited access to services, and stress in coping with the demands of daily living have been found to impact the intimate relationships of African American adults (Conger, Wallace, Sun, Simons, McLoyd, & Brody, 2002).  Little, however, is known about the impact of such disadvantage on the intimate relationship development and experiences of low-income, African American adolescents.  The purpose of this symposium is to highlight the salience of contextual factors such as parents, extended family, community networks, and relationship education on these adolescents' intimate relationship development and experiences.