So Many Theories,So Little Time: An Examination of Theories on the Intergenerational Transmission of Relationship Instability

To examine theoretical perspectives on the intergenerational transmission of relationship instability 945 college students from intact and divorced homes participated. Participants were examined simultaneously and separately based on racial and ethnic background. Regression analyses tested evolutionary, social learning, life-course adversity, and father-absent theory. Evolutionary theory proved to be the best explanation as it was able to explain relationship behaviors when examining all participants simultaneously, and some behaviors when examining participants separately. Life-course adversity and father-absent theory were able to explain early reproductive behaviors among White participants. For Black participants, age at first boy/girlfriend could be explained by social-learning, life-course adversity, and father-absent theory. None of the remaining theories were able to explain the relationship behaviors of Hispanic participants.