First and Later Dating Experiences and Dating Violence among High School Students

This study investigated early dating experiences by exploring the complex aspects of firsttime and later romantic involvement as well as the surrounding circumstances. In total, 377 young people (with the median age being 17 years) were investigated in six high schools in two cities in Lithuania using a questionnaire designed for research purposes by the authors. The results from this study in Lithuania contribute to the field by showing current data on the cultural and psychosocial aspects of dating experiences in high schools. This investigation into first-time and later dating creates an appropriate window to explore and investigate the attitudes, dating habits, and experiences of late adolescents, comprising negative experiences and sexual harassment, which could be used to build preventative programmes. The obtained results provide various data that are useful for trying to better understand the current habits and experiences of young people, for public health specialists, educators, and doctors and also provide an opportunity for monitoring trends, dynamic changes over time, and cross-cultural comparisons. Keywords: dating; high school students; adolescents; dating violence; sexual harassment; alcohol use; drug use; inebriation; sex education; cultural contexts.