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Objective: We explored how young adults discussed their experiences with singlehood and their reasons for being single. Background: Despite singlehood being normative during young adulthood, less research has focused on the diversity of singlehood compared to that of romantic involvement. Method: In Study 1, 35 young adults participated in in‐depth qualitative interviews about their romantic histories. We explored singlehood meanings and reasons in the context of their relationship histories. In Study 2 we used data from 155 single young adults to explore the factor structure, internal reliability, and initial validity of the Reasons for Being Single (RBS) scale, which we developed for this study. Results: In Study 1 we found that singlehood is not simply the time in‐between relationships, but represents its own, unique aspect of romantic development. In Study 2, our analyses indicated that the RBS was comprised of three subscales: (a) self‐defeating reasons, (b) self‐enhancing reasons, and (c) lack of interest. Self‐defeating reasons were negatively associated with young adult well‐being, whereas self‐enhancing and lack‐of‐interest reasons were positively associated with young adult well‐being. Conclusion: Singlehood, like other aspects of young adults' romantic lives, is a diverse and varied experience. Singlehood is also neither an entirely positive nor entirely negative experience. Yet, framing singlehood more positively may aid well‐being. Implications: Within relationship education, being single should be treated as a diverse experience. Helping single young adults gain clarity around why they are single and identify their romantic goals may increase the efficacy of relationship education efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The goal was to explore if perceived romantic relationship importance moderated associations between single status and young adults' positive well‐being. Background: Singlehood is often framed within a deficit framework, with the expectation that being single during young adulthood may be costly for well‐being. That approach, however, does not account for young adults' romantic goals, which may shape how being single is connected to well‐being. Method: Participants were 909 American young adults, ages 18–35 (M = 26.6, 51% female, 81% heterosexual, 58% White, non‐Hispanic), who completed an online survey in December 2019. Results: Being single, compared to having a romantic partner, was associated with lower love life satisfaction, general life satisfaction, and flourishing. However, the associations with general life and love life satisfaction were attenuated by relationship dismissal. Conclusion: Although single young adults reported lower general and love life satisfaction and flourishing, when perceptions of relationship importance were taken into account, relationship dismissal ameliorated the effect of being single on love life satisfaction and general life satisfaction. Placing less importance on romantic relationships may be a promotive factor for single young adults' positive well‐being. Implications: These findings have implications for supporting young adults' positive well‐being, particularly by framing singlehood as normative and, in some cases, preferable to romantic involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This research investigates the processes leading to felt constraint in romantic relationships. Background: Romantic commitment can be driven by a genuine desire to remain romantically involved with a partner, or it can be motivated by real or perceived constraints (e.g., shared property, psychological control or coercion, perceived obligations to one's partner) that make leaving relationships challenging. When relationship commitment and stability are driven by constraints rather than personal desire, individuals may feel "stuck" in their romantic unions, leading to negative outcomes for both individuals and couples. Method: Using data from in‐depth interviews with 35 individuals about their relationship histories, we employed grounded theory techniques to define and explain the process of entering and exiting relationships with high levels of felt constraint (i.e., stuck relationships). The final sample included 14 individuals discussing 21 stuck relationships. Results: Participants often entered stuck relationships in their teens and early 20s. Based on positive early experiences, couples quickly accrued barriers to breakup (e.g., cohabitation, marriage, children, family entanglement) that sustained the partnership despite declines in relationship satisfaction. The decision to leave stuck relationships was often motivated by maturing out of the relationship or becoming more aware of alternatives. Conclusions: Our study adds additional support for the notion that constraints are not universally problematic but must be understood within the context of the developing relationship in order to determine their likely consequences. Implications: Our findings support relationship education focused on building an individual's capacity to (a) assess the future viability of their partnerships and (b) overcome barriers to breakup if and when that becomes relevant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine which aspects of divorced parents' ongoing relationships with their former spouses were associated with children's and youth's postdivorce well‐being. Background: Research on the associations between former spousal relationships and children's postdivorce well‐being has focused extensively on postdivorce coparenting, with less emphasis on other aspects of these multidimensional relationships. Method: Divorced parents (N = 641), recruited via Amazon MTurk, reported on six aspects of their relationships with their former spouses (coparenting cooperation, general communication with former spouses, boundary ambiguity, how often they talk with their former spouses, and satisfaction with custody and child support), and three indices of postdivorce child well‐being (prosocial, internalizing, and externalizing behavior). Results: Analyses were conducted separately for children (4‐ to 9‐years‐old) and youth (10‐ to 18‐years‐old). For children, coparenting cooperation was associated with more prosocial but less internalizing behavior; general communication and boundary ambiguity—family system were associated with greater externalizing and internalizing behavior. For youth, boundary ambiguity—family system was associated with more externalizing and internalizing behavior, boundary ambiguity—relationship with former spouse was associated with more externalizing behavior, child support satisfaction was associated with more prosocial behavior, and custody satisfaction was associated with less internalizing behavior. Conclusion: For child and youth postdivorce well‐being, some aspects of former spousal relationships appear more impactful than others, with boundary ambiguity appearing particularly detrimental. Implications: Divorce education programs may need to diversify their content, supplementing the common focus on postdivorce coparenting with resources that help parents reduce boundary ambiguity in the family system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Our objective was to use multiple romantic relationship dimensions to identify a typology of emerging adult romantic relationships. Background: Emerging adult romantic relationships vary in terms of their relational dynamics, emotional and physical intimacy, and commitment. Understanding the diversity in emerging adult romantic relationships is crucial for developing effective relationship education for emerging adults as they make decisions about their romantic partnerships. Method: Using data from 396 romantically involved but unmarried emerging adults, we used cluster analysis to identify a typology of romantic relationships based on relational dynamics (i.e., warmth and support and negative interactions), relationship duration, consolidation (i.e., number of nights and percentage of free time spent together), and commitment (i.e., likelihood of marrying partner). Results: The results indicated five types of relationships: (a) happily consolidated (30.8%), (b) happily independent (18.9%), (c) exploratory (17.9%), (d) stuck (23.0%), and (e) high intensity (9.3%). Demographic characteristics, depressive symptoms, life satisfaction, current cohabitation, and cycling within the current relationship varied between the relationship types. Conclusions: There appear to be meaningful and important variations among the types of romantic relationships that emerging adults pursue. The associations between relationship type and well‐being depends on the interplay between relational dynamics, consolidation, and commitment. Implications: Individuals in different types of relationships may require targeted interventions to help them move out of problematic relationships or to help them build skills for developing and maintaining relationship quality. Suggestions for each type of relationship are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore emerging adults' beliefs about their ability to end romantic relationships and to identify demographic, personality, and romantic experience factors associated with breakup beliefs. Background: Although, ending relationships is a key component of emerging adult romantic development, research suggests that breakups tend to be protracted and painful. Little is known about what individual skills might be relevant in making breakups smoother for both members of a couple. Method: Using a cross‐sectional design and drawing from an existing survey panel, 948 emerging adults completed an online survey about their romantic experiences and health outcomes. Results: Most participants perceived that they can carry out breakup‐related tasks; they reported knowing when to break up, being able to do so appropriately, being able to accept it when someone breaks up with them, and not delaying breaking up. However, a sizable proportion of participants (23.5% to 47.1% depending on the item) reported that they lacked the skills necessary to end romantic relationships. Beliefs about the ability to end relationships were most consistently associated with emerging adults' general self‐efficacy. Conclusion: Although most emerging adults in the sample appeared confident in their abilities to break up, a sizeable minority indicated that they lacked key skills to end relationships. Implications: Relationship education programs for emerging adults generally do not focus on relationship dissolution. Yet our findings suggest that some emerging adults may need opportunities to build skills that will help them exit relationships that are unhealthy, unsatisfying, or out of sync with their individual goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine how engagement in family management practices (i.e., parent–youth closeness, knowledge of youth's friends, shared family meals, and media monitoring) is associated with positive developmental outcomes for youth living in diverse family structures. Background: As patterns of unmarried childbearing, cohabitation, divorce, and remarriage have changed in the United States, youth increasingly live in diverse family structures. Limited research, however, addresses positive youth development in these families. Specific family tasks and caregiver constellations in the home may mean that youth in different family structures benefit differently from family management practices. Method: Using data from 9,131 households with a 12‐ to 17‐year‐old child in the 2011–2012 National Survey of Children's Health, structural equation modeling was used to test whether four family management practices were associated with two positive youth developmental outcomes (flourishing and extracurricular activity participation). Multigroup analyses tested for differences in the associations across family structures. Results: Family management practices were generally positively associated with positive youth development. The strength of associations between specific family management practices and positive youth developmental outcomes, however, varied across family structures, suggesting that practices may have differing effectiveness depending on family context. Conclusion: Understanding mechanisms that promote positive youth developmental outcomes in diverse family structures and how mechanisms may function differently across family contexts can broaden the sophistication of family theories and interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]