The relationship between gender segregation and romantic love myths among adolescents
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Romantic love myths and gender segregation of peer relationships are two variables that are considered risk factors for the occurrence of episodes of gender-based violence in adolescence, but despite this there are no studies that relate both variables. The sample consisted of 911 adolescents aged 13-17 years (M = 15.2; SD = 1.4), 54% of whom were girls, completed a sociometric questionnaire and the Love Myths Scale. A multivariate analysis was performed with two factors: gender and gender segregation, and romantic love myths as dependent variables. Main effects were found, especially for the gender variable, and interaction effects, indicating that it is boys in segregated relationships who obtain the highest scores on the ambivalence myths, which relate love with aggression. Romantic love myths persist among adolescents, and gender segregation has particularly negative effects on boys. All this makes it necessary to continue implementing educational actions on equality, especially with adolescents.
Downloads
Publication Facts
Reviewer profiles N/A
Author statements
- Editor & editorial board
- profiles
- Academic society
- Psychology, Society & Education
- Publisher
- UCOPress. Universidad de Córdoba
To learn about these publication facts, click 
PF is maintained by the Public Knowledge Project
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The journal retains the economic copyright of contributions that are accepted for publication. This means that it acquires the exclusive use of the document to be edited, disseminated, preserved, etc. in any support and for the time stipulated by the local legislation that regulates the performance of the publication.
Psychology, Society & Education is published under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
References
Boin, J., Rupar, M., Graf, S., Neji, S., Spiegler, O., & Swart, H. (2021). The generalization of intergroup contact effects: Emerging research, policy relevance, and future directions. Journal of Social Issues, 77(1), 105-131. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12419
Bonilla-Algovia, E., Rivas-Rivero, E., & Pascual Gómez, I. (2021). Mitos del amor romántico en adolescentes: relación con el sexismo y variables procedentes de la socialización. Educación XX1, 24(2), 441-464. https://doi.org/10.5944/educXX1.28514
Bukowski W. M., Perry D. G., & Castellanos, M. (2019). Introduction to the special section: Gender typicality and development. International Journal of Behavioural Development, 43, 289-304. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025419853389
Ciarrochi, J., Parker, P. D., Sahdra, B. K., Kashdan, T. B., Kiuru, N., & Conigrave, J. (2017). When empathy matters: The role of sex and empathy in close friendship. Journal of Personality, 85(4), 494-504. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12255
CIS (2023). Percepciones sobre igualdad entre hombres y mujeres y estereotipos de género. Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas.
Connolly, P. (2004). Boys’ underachievement. In P. Connolly (Ed.), Boys and schooling in the early years (pp. 31-62). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203643082-1
Díaz-Aguado, M. J., Martínez, R., Martín, J., & Falcón, L. (2021). La situación de la violencia contra las mujeres en la adolescencia en España. Delegación del Gobierno contra la Violencia de Género.
Endendijk J. J. (2024). When intergroup contact correlates with gender-prejudice beliefs of emerging adults. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 42(1), 97-113. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjdp.12462
Ferrer-Pérez, V. A. (2025). Amor romántico y violencia contra las mujeres en la pareja: mitos y realidades. Apuntes de Psicología, 43(1), 61-67. https://doi.org/10.70478/apuntes.psi.2025.43.06
Gómez-Perea, L., & Viejo, C. (2020). Mitos del amor romántico y calidad en las relaciones sentimentales adolescentes. Revista Iberoamericana de Psicología, 13(1), 151-161. https://doi.org/10.33881/2027-1786.rip.13114
Granda-Vivas, C., & Moral-Jiménez, M. V. (2025). Dependencia emocional, autoengaño y mitos del amor romántico: Negación patológica en relaciones de pareja. Revista Iberoamericana de Psicología y Salud, 16(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.70478/rips.2025.16.01
Halim, M. L. D., Martin, C. L., Andrews, N. C. Z., Zosuls, K. M., & Ruble, D. N. (2021). Enjoying each other’s company: gaining other-gender friendships promotes positive gender attitudes among ethnically diverse children. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 47(12), 1635-1653. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167220984407
Hanish, L. D., Martin, C. L., Cook, R., DeLay, D., Lecheile, B., Fabes, R. A., Goble, P., & Bryce, C. (2021). Building integrated peer relationships in preschool classrooms: The potential of buddies. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 73, Article 101257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2021.101257
Hooijsma, M., Huitsing, G., Kisfalusi, D., Dijkstra, J. K., Flache, A., & Veenstra, R. (2020). Multidimensional similarity in multiplex networks: Friendships between same- and cross-gender bullies and same- and cross-gender victims. Network Science, 8(1), 79-96. https://doi.org/10.1017/nws.2020.1
Kwon, K., Willenbrink, J. B., Bliske, M. N., & Brinckman, B. G. (2022). Emotion sharing in preadolescent children: Divergence from friendships and relation to prosocial behavior in the peer group. Journal of Early Adolescence, 42(1), 89-114. https://doi.org/10.1177/02724316211016067
Leaper, C. (2022). Origins and consequences of childhood gender segregation toward an integrative developmental systems model. In D. P. VanderLaan & W. I. Wong (Eds.), Gender and sexuality development. Contemporary theory and research (pp. 159-205). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-84273-4_6
Lindsey, E. W. (2016). Same-gender peer interaction and pre-schoolers’ gender-typed emotional expressiveness. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 75, 231-242. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-016-0601-6
López-Martín, E., & Ardura, D. (2023). El tamaño del efecto en la publicación científica. Educación XX1, 26(1), 9-17. https://doi.org/10.5944/educxx1.36276
Maccoby, E. E. (1998). The two sexes: Growing up apart, coming together (Vol. 4). Harvard University Press.
Martin, C. L., Xiao, S. X., DeLay, D., Hanish, L. D., Fabes, R. A., Morris, S., & Oswalt, K. (2022). Gender integration and elementary-age students’ classroom belongingness: The importance of other-gender peers. Psychology in the Schools, 59(8), 1492-1510. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22687
Martín, E. (2016). Gender differences in social reputation and peer rejection at school. Culture and Education, 28(3), 539-564. https://doi.org/10.1080/11356405.2016.1196899
Martín, E., & Muñoz de Bustillo, M. C. (2009). Un análisis contextual de la preferencia y el rechazo entre iguales en la escuela. Psicothema, 21(3), 439-445.
Martín, E., Torbay, A., & Guerra-Hernández, C. (2021). Gender segregation in peer relationships and its association with peer reputation. Psicothema, 33(2), 244-250. https://doi.org/10.7334/psicothema2020.359
Martín, E., Torbay, Á., & Alonso-Sánchez, J. A. (2024). Mitos del amor romántico y sexismo ambivalente en adolescentes. Pedagogía Social Revista Interuniversitaria, 45(2), 137-148. https://doi.org/10.7179/PSRI_2024.45.07
Martín, E., Torbay, Á., Alonso-Sánchez, J. A., Gutiérrez, V., y Santos, I., (2025). Segregación por sexo en la adolescencia y su relación con el sexismo ambivalente. Revista de Investigación Educativa, 43. https://doi.org/10.6018/rie.592831
Mehta, C. M., & Strough, J. (2009). Sex segregation in friendship and normative contexts across the life span. Developmental Review, 29(3), 201-220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2009.06.001
Piñeiro, Y., Yela, C., & Piñuela, R. (2022). Mitos románticos en muestras de hombres agresores y no agresores. Revista Prisma Social, 37(3), 265-289.
Rodríguez, A. & Morera, D. (2001). El sociograma. Estudio de las relaciones informales en las organizaciones. Pirámide.
Rodríguez-Castro, Y., Lameiras-Fernández, M., Carrera-Fernández, M. V., & Vallejo-Medina, P. (2013). La fiabilidad y validez de la escala de mitos hacia el amor: las creencias de los y las adolescentes. Revista de Psicología Social, 28(2), 157-168. http://dx.doi.org/10.1174/021347413806196708
Ruiz-Palomino, E., Ballester-Arnal, R., Giménez-García, C., & Gil-Llario, M. D. (2021). Influence of beliefs about romantic love on the justification of abusive behaviors among early adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 92, 126-136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2021.09.001
Sánchez-Hernández, M. D., Herrera-Enríquez, M. C., & Expósito, F. (2020). Controlling behaviors in couple relationships in the digital age: Acceptability of gender violence, sexism, and myths about romantic love. Psychosocial Intervention, 29(2), 67-81. https://doi.org/10.5093/pi2020a1
Sanmartín, A., Gómez, A., Kuric, S., & Rodríguez, E. (2023). Barómetro Juventud y Género 2023. Centro Reina Sofía de Fad Juventud. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10144131
Sardinha, L., Maheu-Giroux, M., Stöckl, H., Meyer, S. R., & García-Moreno, C. (2022). Global, regional, and national prevalence estimates of physical or sexual, or both, intimate partner violence against women in 2018. The Lancet, 399(10327), 803-813. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)02664-7
Tomaszewska, P., & Schuster, I. (2021). Prevalence of teen dating violence in Europe: A systematic review of studies since 2010. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 178, 11-37. https://doi.org/10.1002/cad.20437
Underwood, M. K., & Rosen, L. H. (2009). Gender, peer relations, and challenges for girlfriends and boyfriends together in adolescence. Psychology Women Quarterly, 33(1), 16-20. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.2008.01468.x
UNICEF (2025). ¿Qué opinan los niños, niñas y adolescentes? Resultados de la cuarta edición del Barómetro de Opinión de Infancia y Adolescencia, 2023-2024. UNICEF España.
Van Rijsewijk, L., Dijkstra, J. K., Pattiselanno, K., Steglich, C., & Veenstra, R. (2016). Who helps whom? Investigating the development of adolescent prosocial relationships. Developmental Psychology, 52(6), 894-908. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000106