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Content: Teenagers select friends whose values and interests they share, abandoning former friends who follow other paths. Then friends facilitate destructive or constructive behaviors. When is a adolescent romance healthy and when is it not? Adolescent romance is healthy when it promotes positive connections and exploration of self. They are not health when they lead to exploitation and early sex that one party is not ready for. How does culture affect the development of sexual orientation? Culture and cohort affect the development of sexual orientation. In many nations, non - heterosexual behavior is considered criminal. Worldwide many gay youths date members of the other sex to hide their orientation, and they are at higher risk for binge-drinking, suicidal thougths, and drug use. Hiding one's orientation is less common in communities in which same-sex partnerships are accepted, especially when parents affirm their offspring's sexuality.