It is important for young people to understand how to navigate healthy romantic relationships. However, much of the existing literature on healthy relationships among youth in foster care and related systems focuses on relationships with birth, foster, and adoptive families rather than romantic partners. These resources also may describe healthy relationships without discussing actionable tools or cultural considerations.
Recognizing this gap, Activate: The Center to Bring Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Research to Youth-Supporting Professionals, developed a new resource on the topic. The brief, Healthy Romantic Relationships and Youth Well-Being, summarizes research and literature, provides guidance for practitioners, and examines cultural considerations associated with healthy romantic relationships. It identifies three domains for health relationships:
- Communication
- Boundaries/limits
- Shared power