Interaction Patterns in Adolescent Romantic Relationships: A Typological Analysis

While several studies in adolescents have addressed issues related to romantic relationships and dating violence, there is a limited understanding of their interaction patterns. This study aims to document interactions in conflict situations by identifying profiles of adolescent romantic relationships. Qualitative analysis based on the dimensions of the Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems was used to investigate the interaction task of 40 dyads. A typological analysis revealed four profiles: (1) rigid, (2) entangled, (3) hampered, and (4) balanced. Results highlight the diversity of romantic experiences and offer a better understanding of the intricacies of different interaction profiles. Dating violence prevention efforts and programs promoting harmonious and egalitarian romantic relationships could benefit from the insights of the identified profiles.     

Mobile Phone Use in Romantic Relationships

ABSTRACT

There is a growing body of research regarding the role of mobile phones in romantic couple communication processes. The purpose of this review is to highlight the state of the literature in this area in terms of positive and negative aspects of the constant contact afforded by mobile phones. We use symbolic interactionism to discuss ways in which mobile phones provide a vehicle of symbol-creating interaction when actors attach and glean meanings from interactions via mobile phones. Text and phone conversations tend to be stripped of many cues often used to decipher meaning in face-to-face interactions. Thus, symbolically, meaning derived from mobile phone use may consist of more than the recordable contents of the conversations. Implications for research are discussed.     

Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids and Condom Use: Potential Mechanisms in Adolescent Males

Previous research has revealed a significant bivariate relationship between anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) use and reduced condom use among adolescent boys. However, to date, no known studies have explored the psychological mechanisms that may explain this relationship. Thus, the current study sought to examine two possible mediators in the association between AAS and condom use: depressive symptoms and substance use. Data were extracted from a nationally representative sample of U.S. adolescents. Participants were 3,780 U.S. high school boys who responded to self-report items assessing a number of health behaviors, including symptoms of depression, substance use, AAS use, and use of condoms during their most recent act of intercourse. Both depression and substance use were significant mediators in the relationship between AAS and condom use. However, when these effects were contrasted, the indirect effect of substance use was significantly stronger in magnitude than the effect of depression. Although AAS use was associated with sexual risk behaviors among adolescent boys, significant variance in this relationship was accounted for by elevated levels of depression and substance use, with substance use demonstrating a particularly salient pathway.     

Analyzing Cultural Models in Adolescent Accounts of Romantic Relationships

Research on academic achievement has led the way in demonstrating how culturally constructed meanings shape adolescent scholastic behavior. The aim of this research is to move this standpoint of analysis more centrally into the area of adolescent dating and sexuality by focusing on the cultural components of adolescent romantic relationships. This study examines cultural models of romantic relationships in Vernacular Term Interviews of 68 African American and 59 Mexican American 11th‐ and 12th‐grade female and male high school students. A subset of interviews was analyzed first qualitatively to identify the models. The models then were committed to a manual and 4 analytic coders established reliability before coding all interviews blind as to race/ethnicity and gender of the adolescent. The resultant data were summarized by a principal components analysis that yielded 5 interpretable factors. Factor scores were computed and compared for gender and race/ethnicity differences. The results demonstrated clear differences in factors by race/ethnicity but not by gender. Results are discussed in relation to cultural differences described in the literature for these 2 populations.     

Mixed‐Gender Groups,Dating, and Romantic Relationships in Early Adolescence

This study examined dating‐stage and developmental‐contextual models of romantic relationships during early adolescence. Same‐gender friendships, affiliation with mixed‐gender groups, dating, and romantic relationships were investigated in a sample of 1,284 young adolescents of diverse ethnocultural backgrounds. Data were collected cross‐sectionally in Grades 5 through 8, as well as longitudinally in the fall and spring of an academic year. Consistent with a stage model, affiliation with mixed‐gender groups and dating were qualitatively distinct activities that were sequentially organized and facilitated the progression from same‐gender friendships to dyadic romantic relationships. The results also provide insights on how the developmental context may alter stage pathways: Dating activities were incorporated with mixed‐gender affiliations, group‐based romantic stages showed more stability than other stages, and the ethnocultural context influenced romantic timing. Finally, results indicated that participation in romantic activities heightened adolescents' future interest in having a romantic relationship.     

Sexual Communication,Satisfaction, and Condom Use Behavior in Friends with Benefits and Romantic Partners

Although “friends with benefits” relationships (FWBRs) are common and have been the subject of significant media and research attention, relatively little is known about them, especially in terms of how they differ from other types of relationships. The present research sought to compare the sexual outcomes of FWBRs to those of traditional romantic relationships via an online survey. Results revealed that FWBR partners were less likely to be sexually exclusive, had a lower frequency of sexual interaction, were less sexually satisfied, and generally communicated less about sex than romantic partners did. However, compared to romantic partners, FWBR partners devoted relatively more of the time spent together to sexual activity, practiced safe sex more frequently, communicated more often about extradyadic sexual experiences, and reported a greater number of lifetime casual sex partners. These findings indicate that the sexual outcomes of FWBRs and romantic relationships are quite distinct and provide evidence of the potential public health implications associated with both casual and committed sexual relationships.     

Affairs of the Heart: Qualities of Adolescent Romantic Relationships and Sexual Behavior

We know more about parent and peer influences than about the ways in which specific qualities of adolescent romantic relationships may influence sexual decision‐making. Using data from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study, we focus on communication processes and emotional feelings, as well as more basic contours of adolescent romantic relationships, including power and influence dynamics. Controlling for traditional predictors and duration of the relationship, results suggest that subjectively experienced relationship qualities matter for understanding teens' sexual behavior choices. Further, findings indicate a similar effect of most relationship qualities on male and female reports of sexual behavior. However, influence and power dynamics within the relationship were not related to the likelihood that boys reported sexual intercourse in a focal relationship. In contrast, girls who perceived a more favorable power balance were less likely to report sexual intercourse than their female counterparts who perceived a less favorable power balance. Recognizing that the results capture reciprocal influence processes, longitudinal and qualitative data are used to further explore the complex nature of these associations.     

Contraceptive Use Patterns Within Females' First Sexual Relationships: The Role of Relationships,Partners, and Methods

This study used the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) to assess whether characteristics of females' sexual partners, relationships, and choice of contraceptive methods were associated with contraceptive use patterns within their first sexual relationship. White, Black, and Hispanic females under age 25 (N = 915) provided retrospective information on sexual activity and contraceptive use for first sexual relationships that occurred between 1991 and 1995. Females with older sexual partners and with same race/ethnicity partners (among Hispanics) had reduced odds of ever using contraception and/or uninterrupted use. Longer sexual relationships were associated with higher odds of ever using contraception but lower odds of uninterrupted use. Females who were older at first sex, who used hormonal methods (among Whites), or who switched to more effective methods during their first sexual relationships had higher odds of ever using contraception and/or uninterrupted use. In contrast, switching to less effective methods during a first sexual relationship was associated with reduced odds of uninterrupted use.     

Adolescents' Gender Mistrust: Variations and Implications for the Quality of Romantic Relationships

Recent research demonstrates that perceptions of gender mistrust are implicated in lower marriage rates among low-income populations. Yet few quantitative studies have examined the factors predicting gender mistrust during adolescence and whether it influences the quality of subsequent nonmarital romantic relationships. Analysis of three waves of data from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (N = 1,106) indicates that in addition to neighborhood poverty rates, parents' own gender mistrust and parent-child relationship quality are related to adolescents' gender mistrust, suggesting that parents play an important role in influencing adolescents' developing feelings of gender mistrust. Perceptions of gender mistrust are not related to whether adolescents are involved in dating relationships, but are linked to higher levels of jealousy and verbal conflict in adolescents' subsequent romantic relationships, albeit only for male adolescents.     

HIV-Negative Seroconcordant Gay Male Couples' Attitudes,Intentions, and Perceived Behavioral Control for Planned Condom Use Within and Outside of Their Relationships

ABSTRACT

Despite high HIV rates among gay male couples, limited research exists about their attitudes, intentions, social norms, and perceived behavioral control for planned condom use within and outside of their relationships. Our cross-sectional study used multilevel modeling with dyadic data from 142 HIV-negative gay male couples to examine and identify which factors were statistically associated with planned condom use within and outside the relationship. Several differences for planned condom use were also noted based on the sample's prior history of unprotected anal intercourse and relationship type. Findings suggest additional prevention tools are needed for some HIV-negative gay male couples who are at risk for HIV.     

Parental Residential and Partnering Transitions and the Initiation of Adolescent Romantic Relationships

This study focused on the possible links between parental residential and partnering transitions (a parent's move out of the household, introduction of a new maternal and paternal partner) and the initiation of romantic relationships in adolescence. Using data from a prospective cohort study of Dutch adolescents (the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey; N = 1,513), recurrent event discrete‐time models with random effects were estimated, controlling for the initial family structure and quality of family climate. The results demonstrated that when all 3 events were considered, only the initiation of a new romantic relationship by the mother was associated with an increase in the odds of initiating a romantic relationship for the adolescent.     

Sexual Esteem in Emerging Adulthood: Associations with Sexual Behavior,Contraception Use,and Romantic Relationships

Sexual esteem is an integral psychological aspect of sexual health (Snell &; Papini, 1989 Snell, W. E. Jr., &; Papini, D. R. (1989). The Sexuality Scale: An instrument to measure sexual‐esteem, sexual‐depression, and sexual‐preoccupation. Journal of Sex Research, 26, 256–263. doi:10.1080/00224498909551510[Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), yet it is unclear whether sexual esteem is associated with sexual health behavior among heterosexual men and women. The current analysis used a normative framework for sexual development (Lefkowitz &; Gillen, 2006 Lefkowitz, E. S., &; Gillen, M. M. (2006). “Sex is just a normal part of life”: Sexuality in emerging adulthood. In J. J. Arnett &; J. L. Tanner (Eds.), Emerging adults in America: Coming of age in the 21st century (pp. 235–256). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]; Tolman &; McClelland, 2011 Tolman, D. L., &; McClelland, S. I. (2011). Normative sexuality development in adolescence: A decade in review, 2000–2009. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21, 242–255. doi:10.1111/j.1532-7795.2010.00726.x[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) by examining the association of sexual esteem with sexual behavior, contraception use, and romantic relationship characteristics. Participants (N = 518; 56.0% female; mean age = 20.43 years; 26.8% identified as Hispanic/Latino; among non-Hispanic/Latinos, 27.2% of the full sample identified as European American, 22.4% Asian American, 14.9% African American, and 8.7% multiracial) completed Web-based surveys at a large Northeastern university. Participants who had oral sex more frequently, recently had more oral and penetrative sex partners (particularly for male participants), and spent more college semesters in romantic relationships tended to have higher sexual esteem than those who had sex less frequently, with fewer partners, or spent more semesters without romantic partners. Sexually active male emerging adults who never used contraception during recent penetrative sex tended to have higher sexual esteem than those who did use it, whereas female emerging adults who never used contraception tended to have lower sexual esteem than those who did use it. Implications of these results for the development of a healthy sexual self-concept in emerging adulthood are discussed.     

Characterizing Emotional Support Development: From Adolescent Best Friendships to Young Adult Romantic Relationships

This study examined development of emotional support competence within close friendships across adolescence. A sample of 184 adolescents (53% girls, 47% boys; 58% White, 29% Black, 14% other identity groups) participated in seven waves of multimethod assessments with their best friends and romantic partners from age 13 to 24. Latent change score models identified coupled predictions over time from emotional support competence to increasing friendship quality and decreasing support received from friends. Friend-rated emotional support competence in adolescence predicted supportiveness in adult romantic relationships, over and above supportiveness in adolescent romantic relationships. Teen friendships may set the stage for developing emotional support capacities that progress across time and relationships into adulthood.     

Contraceptive Attitudes and Sexual Self-Esteem Among Young Adults: Communication and Quality of Relationships with Mothers

ABSTRACT. Objectives: This study investigated relations between quality of relationships with mothers and communication with mothers about sex with contraceptive attitudes and sexual self-esteem among emerging adults. Methods: Undergraduate students (N = 176, M_age = 22 years 65% women) completed self-report measures of relationships with mothers, communication about sex, and sexual self-esteem. Results: Results indicated positive relations between quality of relationships with mothers and open, positive sex communication, for men and women, sexually and not sexually active; and between relationship quality with mothers, sex communication with mothers, and sexual self-esteem of women. Conclusions: Warm, supportive relationships with mothers in emerging adulthood include open, comfortable communications about sexuality, which were linked to features of sexual well-being of young adults.     

Technology‐Based Communication and the Development of Interpersonal Competencies Within Adolescent Romantic Relationships: A Preliminary Investigation

This study investigated longitudinal associations between adolescents’ technology‐based communication and the development of interpersonal competencies within romantic relationships. A school‐based sample of 487 adolescents (58% girls; M_age = 14.1) participated at two time points, one year apart. Participants reported (1) proportions of daily communication with romantic partners via traditional modes (in person, on the phone) versus technological modes (text messaging, social networking sites) and (2) competence in the romantic relationship skill domains of negative assertion and conflict management. Results of cross‐lagged panel models indicated that adolescents who engaged in greater proportions of technology‐based communication with romantic partners reported lower levels of interpersonal competencies one year later, but not vice versa; associations were particularly strong for boys.     

The Social Construction of Romantic Relationships in Adolescence: Examining the Role of Peer Networks,Gender, and Race*

Romantic activity is a social psychological phenomenon. Gender, race, and peer networks are key contexts for understanding the social construction of this behavior as gender‐ and race‐based norms structure feelings and behaviors that define “appropriate” romantic activity and peer networks serve as incubators of this activity. With a nationally representative sample of adolescents (N= 8510) drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, this study explored the linkages among peer networks, conceptions of idealized romantic relationships and actual romantic relationships, and the ways in which gender and race moderate these associations. Several characteristics of peer networks predicted adolescent attitudes about romantic behaviors as well as actual romantic behavior. Moreover, the linkages among peer networks, romantic attitudes, and romantic behaviors varied by race.     

Problematic Domains of Romantic Relationships as a Function of Attachment Insecurity and Gender

Theoretically, securely attached adults view the world as safe and see their romantic partners as emotionally available, supportive, and non-threatening. Little is known, however, about which relationship domains are most problematic for securely (versus insecurely) attached adults. To fill this gap, we asked 62 adults in committed relationships to complete the Marital Satisfaction Inventory-Revised (MSI-R; Snyder, 1997), a measure of the frequency and severity of 10 kinds of couple problems, and the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R; Fraley, Waller, & Brennan, 2000), a measure of attachment insecurity. High Avoidance and Anxiety were associated with numerous relationship problems being rated as frequent and severe. A canonical correlation showed that 26.5% of the variance in the set of relational problem areas was accounted for by attachment insecurity and gender. While greater attachment security was associated with fewer perceived difficulties in affective communication, irrespective of gender, greater Avoidance and Anxiety were associated with more difficulties in this area. Female participants with high Anxiety (and low Avoidance) reported more global relationship and family-of-origin distress, but fewer financial disagreements and less difficult problem-solving communication; conversely, male participants with high Avoidance (and low Anxiety) reported more financial disagreements and difficult problem-solving communication, but less global relationship and family-of-origin distress. These results have implications for practice by suggesting ways in which couples’ attachment dynamics can become manifested in specific kinds of relational difficulties.     

Body Dissatisfaction: Commitment,Support, and Trust in Romantic Relationships

Research investigating dimensions of relationship quality has suggested that aspects of relationship quality (e.g., commitment, support, trust) are related to lower levels of body dissatisfaction in women. However no studies have examined the effect of all three measures of relationship quality on body dissatisfaction simultaneously. Trust and support correlated with body dissatisfaction in men and women. Additionally, the results showed that lack of support is a predictor of body dissatisfaction in men and lack of trust is a predictor in women; relationship commitment did not appear to relate to body dissatisfaction.     

Gender Minority Social Stress in Adolescence: Disparities in Adolescent Bullying and Substance Use by Gender Identity

Bullying and substance use represent serious public health issues facing adolescents in the United States. Few large-sample national studies have examined differences in these indicators by gender identity. The Teen Health and Technology Study (N = 5,542) sampled adolescents ages 13 to 18 years old online. Weighted multivariable logistic regression models investigated disparities in substance use and tested a gender minority social stress hypothesis, comparing gender minority youth (i.e., who are transgender/gender nonconforming and have a gender different from their sex assigned at birth) and cisgender (i.e., whose gender identity or expression matches theirs assigned at birth). Overall, 11.5% of youth self-identified as gender minority. Gender minority youth had increased odds of past-12-month alcohol use, marijuana use, and nonmarijuana illicit drug use. Gender minority youth disproportionately experienced bullying and harassment in the past 12 months, and this victimization was associated with increased odds of all substance use indicators. Bullying mediated the elevated odds of substance use for gender minority youth compared to cisgender adolescents. Findings support the use of gender minority stress perspectives in designing early interventions aimed at addressing the negative health sequelae of bullying and harassment.     

Family Influences on Mexican American Adolescents’ Romantic Relationships: Moderation by Gender and Culture

This study examined prospective associations between the family context and adolescents’ romantic relationships as moderated by adolescents’ gender and culture among Mexican American families (N = 189). Adolescents at Time 1 (early adolescence) were on average 12.29 years of age (SD = 0.50) and 54% female. Mothers and fathers reported on family structure and dynamics during early adolescence, and youth reported on their romantic relationship involvement and quality during middle and late adolescence. Results from path analyses indicated that family structure and dynamics (supportive parenting, consistent discipline, and parent–adolescent and interparental conflict) were associated with adolescents’ romantic involvement and quality, and with differences by adolescents’ gender and culture. Findings highlight Mexican American family contexts that contribute uniquely to adolescents’ romantic relationships.