'Getting off' and 'going out': young people's conceptions of (hetero)sexual relationships.

Research that has explored young people's (hetero)sexual behaviour has often assumed that the idea of 'relationships' is transparent. Subsequently, the diversity which exists within this concept has been neglected. This paper endeavours to unpack the concept of 'relationships' with reference to young people's own understandings and meanings of the term. Drawing on findings from focus group research with 17-19 year-olds in New Zealand, it analyses how relationships are constituted and differentiated. Some of the determining characteristics are: the time partners spend together, a sense of exclusivity and intimacy, emotional attachment and the kinds and frequency of sexual activity engaged in. On the basis of various configurations of these elements, young people's relationships can be loosely categorized as 'one-night stands', 'short-term relationships', 'casual dating' and 'going out'. The diversity, complexity and fluidity in these conceptualizations present a challenge to traditional understandings of these relationships, and have implications for how sexual health promotion might be carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]