Romantic Relationships Assets among Minoritized Youth: Lessons from Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Involved Adolescents

Abstract

Healthy romantic relationships are a critical, but an undervalued, aspect of adolescent development. Consequently, providers, teachers, and caregivers often struggle with what defines a healthy romantic relationship. Oftentimes, a healthy romantic relationship is understood from a problem behavior perspective, in which healthy aspects of romantic experiences are those that are negatively associated with problem behaviors, such as delinquency. By doing so, caregivers and providers emphasize the absence of “risky” romantic relationship features, rather than the presence of romantic strengths or assets. This pitfall is especially noteworthy among minoritized youth, including those who are systems‐involved through child protective services or juvenile justice.