scholarly journals Parent–child positivity and romantic relationships in emerging adulthood

2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 198-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina Kretschmer ◽  
Wilma Vollebergh ◽  
Albertine J. Oldehinkel

Romantic relationship quality in adolescence and early adulthood has often been linked to earlier parent–child relationship quality but it is possible that these links are nonlinear. Moreover, the role of social skills as mediator of associations between parent–child and romantic relations has been discussed but not rigorously tested. Using data from 2,230 participants of the longitudinal TRAILS (TRacking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey) sample, this study examined whether parent–child positivity assessed at age 11 predicted romantic involvement, commitment and satisfaction in emerging adulthood. Moreover, indirect effects via cooperation, assertion and self-control were tested. Parent–child positivity did not predict romantic involvement as such. However, in those who were romantically involved, linear and, by trend, nonlinear associations between parent–child positivity and commitment were found, suggesting higher levels of commitment in those who had reported positive parent–child relationships but also in individuals with particularly low levels of parent–child positivity. Satisfaction was linearly linked to parent–child positivity. Little support was found for the assumption that the association between parent–child positivity and romantic relationship quality in emerging adulthood are partly explained by social skills. These results show that neither congruence nor compensation alone are sufficient to explain the associations between parent–child and romantic relationship quality.

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 414-431
Author(s):  
Danli Li ◽  
Dongping Li ◽  
Kairong Yang

It has been documented that destructive interparental conflict (IPC) is risky for emerging adults’ romantic experience. Despite this, the mechanism through which such a conflicting relationship between the parents can be transmitted to offspring during emerging adulthood has not been thoroughly addressed. This study focused on the mediating roles of emerging adults’ attachment to parents and interpersonal security to examine whether they jointly mediate the relationship between destructive IPC and emerging adults’ romantic relationship quality. A total of 202 Chinese undergraduate and graduate students aged 18–26 (65.4% females) participated in an online survey, all of whom were in romantic relationships. With structural equation modeling, results revealed two indirect pathways linking destructive IPC and adults’ romantic relationship quality: first, destructive IPC was indirectly associated with emerging adults’ romantic relationship quality through the mediating role of attachment to parents in early adulthood; second, destructive IPC was indirectly linked with emerging adults’ romantic relationship quality through the sequential mediating roles of emerging adults’ attachment to parents and interpersonal security. The findings of the study elucidated a potential process that IPC is likely to shape emerging adults’ romantic relationship quality through both adults’ attachment to parents and adults’ preconception about interpersonal security, thus offering avenues for facilitating the quality of emerging adults’ romantic relationship.


2021 ◽  
pp. 026540752110354
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Killoren ◽  
J. Kale Monk ◽  
Avelina Rivero ◽  
Dawson Quinn ◽  
Gabrielle C. Kline

Negative interactions between romantic partners, such as when one partner criticizes another about their weight, are associated with poor relationship outcomes. The purpose of the study was to examine associations between romantic partner weight criticism, romantic relationship quality, gender, and Latinx young adults’ romantic relationship instability. Participants were recruited from a Qualtrics panel and completed 30-minute surveys online. The sample included 475 Latinx young adults (60% women; M age = 24.80 years, SD = 3.22; 66% Mexican) who reported on their experiences of romantic partner weight criticism, positive romantic relationship quality (e.g., intimacy, affection, nurturance), negative romantic relationship quality (e.g., conflict, antagonism), and relationship instability. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to test the study goals. Overall, weight-related criticism was more strongly associated with romantic relationship instability for men than for women. Further, for men, associations between weight criticism and romantic relationship instability were also particularly strong in the context of low levels of negative romantic relationship quality compared to high levels of negative romantic relationship quality.


2020 ◽  
pp. 073112142097844
Author(s):  
Amy Lucas ◽  
Jessica Halliday Hardie ◽  
Sejung Sage Yim

Previous research indicates that romantic partners’ relationship quality is associated with poverty and material hardship. Few studies have used longitudinal data to incorporate changing economic circumstances over time, included a range of economic factors, or investigated the role of social support in this association, however. Using five waves of data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, we extend prior work by evaluating the association between multiple economic stressors and romantic relationship quality over time, and whether social support explains or alters this association. Changes in economic stressors are associated with changes in romantic relationship quality over time, particularly nonstandard work and material hardship. Social support neither explains nor moderates this association in most cases. This study confirms the stress process perspective, showing how economic and work-related stress can proliferate into family life, but does not support the contention that social support buffers families against stress proliferation.


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