Private and Public Displays of Affection Among Interracial and Intrarracial Adolescent Couples

Most of the literature on romantic relationships focuses on adults. In addition, those who study the differences between interracial and intrarracial couples often look at only two racial groups, mainly black and white couples. Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), a nationally representative sample of adolescents in the United States (1994-1995), We examine how interracial versus intrarracial couples vary in three dimensions of romantic involvement among white, African American, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian adolescents. We analyze three dimensions of relationship involvement: public display, private display, and intimate (physical) contact. Our preliminary findings suggest that interracial couples are less likely to exhibit public display of affection, compared to intrarracial couples, while they are not different from intrarracial couples on the two other dimensions. However, when contextual factors are taken into account, these differences tend to disappear. Adolescents’ romantic relationships thus mirror the continuing reluctance of broad social norms that reject racial mixing.