The changing face of dating anxiety: Issues in assessment with special populations.

Abstract

As a precursor to numerous psychological difficulties, dating anxiety is an important area of research that has been largely neglected, with existing research providing few answers concerning how this construct may present at different developmental stages of the life span, or across special interest groups. This article describes what factors may be important to consider when examining dating anxiety in adolescents, gay/lesbian/bisexual populations, ethnic minorities, older adults, and by addressing gender. Further research is necessary to address how social anxiety differs from dating anxiety, how these two constructs are similar and different across groups and throughout the life span, and how more developmentally sensitive measures of dating anxiety may be developed.