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There is considerable interest in relations between sexual behavior and romantic attachment styles in adolescence as attachment needs are increasingly met through intimate partners rather than parents. The objectives of this research were to organize a measure of sexual behavior within an attachment theory framework, and then show that this new measure uniquely predicted sexual approach styles and invasive sexual experiences. 190 18- and 19-year-old university students in late adolescence completed sexual behavior items that were provided ambivalent (anxious) and avoidant dimensions. These were systematically related to the romantic attachment dimensions of the "Experiences in Close Relationships--Revised". However, even after romantic relationship style, gender, and social desirability were controlled, avoidance in sexual relationships predicted lifetime sexual partner number and negatively predicted positive sexual strategies, and ambivalence in sexual relationships predicted invasive and coercive sexual behaviors. A measure specific to sexual relationships informs the attachment and romantic context of sex in late adolescence. (Contains 4 tables.)

The current study examined the effect of empathy on friendship quality in the context of dyadic same-sex friendships, and how such an effect might be mediated by interpersonal competence. A special version of the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) was used to examine this hypothesis in 146 same-sex friend dyads in 10th grade. Results showed that empathy was positively related to intimacy and conflict management competences. Also, adolescents higher in intimacy and conflict management competences had more friendship closeness and less discord, respectively, as perceived by both members. Consistent with our hypothesis, the relationship between empathy and self- and friend-reports of friendship closeness and discord were mediated by adolescents' intimacy and conflict management competence, respectively. These findings emphasize the importance of empathy and interpersonal competence in adolescent friendships, and of considering the interdependence of these constructs in friend dyads. (Contains 3 figures and 2 tables.)

Theoretical and empirical research has shown that adolescent romantic relationships are associated with a wide range of developmental outcomes, including adverse consequences. The present study used a hierarchical linear model to examine the moderating effect of classroom romantic context on the association between adolescent romantic relationships and adjustment problems. Data were collected from 4776 Chinese adolescents across 106 classes and from 47 schools. The participants' ages ranged from 12 to 18 years. The results indicated that romantic involvement and breakups were associated with adolescents' depressive symptoms and delinquent behaviors. Moreover, the association between breakups and depressive symptoms depended on the classroom romantic context. Specifically, we found that adolescents who experienced breakups showed fewer depressive symptoms in classrooms where romantic relationships were common among classmates than in those classrooms where romantic relationships were rare among classmates. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed. (Contains 2 figures and 3 tables.)

The present study investigated the role of 24 character strengths in 87 adolescent romantic relationships focusing on their role in partner selection and their role in mates' life satisfaction. Measures included the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths for Youth, the Students' Life Satisfaction Scale, and an Ideal Partner Profiler for the composition of an ideal partner. Honesty, humor, and love were the most preferred character strengths in an ideal partner. Hope, religiousness, honesty, and fairness showed the most substantial assortment coefficients. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed targets' character strengths as explaining variance in targets' life satisfaction. Furthermore, to a lesser degree, specific character strengths of partners and couples' similarity in certain character strengths explained variance in targets' life satisfaction beyond targets' character strengths. This first research on this topic showed that character strengths play a significant role in adolescent romantic relationships. (Contains 2 figures and 3 tables.)

Previous research has not yielded consistent identity and intimacy associations for female and male emerging adults. Intimacy varies with time spent in a relationship, and relationship duration may explain variations in the identity process association with intimacy. Data from 278 female and 156 male emerging adults revealed relationship duration moderated the identity commitment and exploration associations with intimacy. Findings indicated longer relationship duration was associated with lower intimacy levels for high identity commitment/high exploration females, and longer relationship duration was associated with higher intimacy levels for high commitment/low exploration females. Findings also indicated longer relationship duration was associated with higher intimacy levels for high commitment/high exploration males, and longer relationship duration was associated with lower intimacy levels for low commitment/high exploration males. Findings are discussed with regards to the empirical importance of considering relationship characteristics when examining emerging adult identity process associations with friendship intimacy. (Contains 2 figures and 3 tables.)

The most common dating goals of adolescents are identity, intimacy, status and sex. In this study of Australian youth (16-30 years, N = 208), dating goals were expected to explain goal-consistent behavior in each domain. Also, goals coupled with consistent behavior were expected to be associated with greater satisfaction in each domain. Age, gender, same-sex versus other-sex attraction, and cohabitation were also examined. The four dating goals had small intercorrelations, and for each domain but sex, youth who reported more of a dating goal also reported more goal-consistent behavior. For identity, intimacy and sex, participants were more satisfied when they had more goal-consistent behavior. Goal x Behavior interactions were associated with satisfaction in the domains of intimacy and sex, and identity was the most salient dating goal domain. Individual differences in goals, behavior and satisfaction were most pronounced for gender and cohabitation. Few differences were found between same-sex and other-sex attracted youth. (Contains 2 figures and 4 tables.)

Integration of adult attachment and psychosocial development theories suggests that adolescence is a time when capacities for romantic intimacy and identity formation are co-evolving. The current study addressed direct, indirect and moderated associations among identity and romantic attachment constructs with a diverse sample of 2178 middle adolescents. Identity styles were found to have unique and direct associations with identity commitment. Attachment anxiety showed only indirect associations and attachment avoidance had both direct and indirect associations with identity commitment. Tests of moderation revealed that gender, race and relationship status had no influence on the direct associations of identity styles or romantic attachment with identity commitment. Few differences in association strength among identity styles and romantic attachment emerged for gender or race. However, the differences found for relationship status suggested that relationship experiences adolescents bring to their exploration of identity and intimacy matter for how these two areas of development articulate. (Contains 1 figure and 3 tables.)

This study examined the effect of close relationships (best friendship and romantic relationship) on late adolescents' casual attributions for peer victimization. A total of 1106 twelfth grade students completed self-report measures of perceived peer victimization, self-blame attribution, psychological maladjustment (loneliness and social anxiety), and quality of close peer relationships. Results indicated that self-blame partly mediated the link between peer victimization and psychological maladjustment. Relationship quality moderated the victimization-self-blame relation. Participants were more likely to endorse self-blame attributions for peer victimization when they had a negative relationship with a best friend or romantic partner. The moderated effect of negative best friendship quality was only significant for girls, whereas the moderated effect of negative romantic relationship quality was only significant for boys. Implications of these findings for future research on close relations during adolescence and for interventions to reduce the effects of peer victimization were discussed. (Contains 2 figures and 5 tables.)

This research focuses on offspring's perceptions of their parents' usage of conditional regard and autonomy-supportive practices in response to the offspring's experiences of negative emotion. Participants were 174 college students (60% were females). As predicted from self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000), students' perceptions of parents as hinging their regard on students' expression or suppression of negative emotions predicted a maladaptive pattern of emotion regulation and intimacy capacity. In contrast, autonomy-supportive parenting predicted more adaptive emotion regulation and intimacy patterns. Also as predicted, emotion-regulation mode mediated the relations between parental practices and intimacy capacity. The innovative aspect of the study is the finding that parents who use conditional regard to encourage children's expression (sharing) of negative emotions may actually undermine their children's socioemotional capacities. (Contains 1 table and 3 figures.)

Research has demonstrated that adolescent peer group affiliations are consistent predictors of substance use initiation and maintenance; it is less clear how adolescent "romantic" relationships influence substance use behavior. Data were drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Participants in the final dataset for the current study included adolescents (321 males and 321 females) who were identified in reciprocated romantic relationships at Wave 1 (1994-1995; mean age 16.7 years) that were followed into young adulthood and reassessed at two different time points (Wave 2 in 1996, mean age 17.7, and Wave 3 in 2001-2002, mean age 23.1). Data were gathered from both partners, and included demographic variables, longitudinal measures of substance use (alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana), and relationship seriousness. Hierarchical linear modeling using SAS PROC MIXED were utilized to test for individual versus partner influences. Results revealed individual and partner effects for the prediction of alcohol and tobacco, although individual effects were generally greater than partner influences. For marijuana use, as self-reported relationship seriousness increased, future marijuana use decreased. These findings suggest the developmental significance of adolescent romantic relationships on the prediction of future substance use behavior during young adulthood. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)

This study assessed the impact of running away on pregnancy in the subsequent year among U.S. adolescents. We also investigated interactions between running away and sexual assault, romance, and school disengagement. Pregnancy among females between 11 and 17 years (n = 6100) was examined utilizing the Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) data from Waves 1 and 2. The odds of pregnancy in the next year were 1.67 times greater for runaways net of other factors. A history of sexual assault and romantic involvement increased the likelihood of pregnancy. The relationship between pregnancy and runaway behavior in the general population is understudied. Our findings suggest that runaway youth have a multiplicity of needs that require a complex array of medical, social, emotional, and academic resources to promote positive sexual health outcomes. (Contains 1 table.)

Whereas much research addresses relations of youths' heterosexual romantic relationships with sexual and/or delinquent activities, less attention has been paid to youths' more normative, day-to-day activities with romantic partners. This gap in the literature is problematic given that these activities define the substance of the relationships and likely are connected to relationship satisfaction. In the current study, 223 youths in fifth (28 boys; 32 girls), eighth (31 boys; 40 girls), and eleventh (36 boys; 56 girls) grades reporting current romantic relationships indicated their engagement in activities with romantic partners and relationship satisfaction. Findings revealed important grade differences in activity involvement, with eighth- and eleventh-graders reporting higher engagement than fifth-graders, especially in out-of-school activities. Additionally, engagement in out-of-school activities was most strongly associated with relationship satisfaction for all grades. (Contains 3 tables.)

In this study with 236 Portuguese university students, we examined two competing models for understanding identity. In the first model, the direct independent effects of parental and romantic attachment on identity were tested. The second model examined the mediating role of romantic attachment representations in the link between parental attachment and identity. The participants completed measures of parental and romantic attachment at the beginning of the freshman year (Wave 1), and a measure of identity development 18 months later (Wave 2). Structural equation modeling for the independent model indicated that identity is exclusively predicted by romantic attachment at this life stage, and not by parental attachment. Regarding the second model, our mediational hypothesis was supported, since the association between parental attachment and identity was totally mediated by romantic attachment representations. Both models presented adequate indices of adjustment, and provided a complementary understanding of the differential role that romantic relations play in contributing to explaining identity development. (Contains 3 tables and 4 figures.)

A qualitative approach was used to explore the meaning and perceptions of cheating in adolescent romantic relationships. Mexican American and White adolescents (N = 75; 53.3% girls; 56.1% Mexican American), separated by gender and ethnicity into 12 focus groups (three groups per type), discussed personal and peer experiences of cheating in dating relationships as both the victim and perpetrator. Dialogue was coded using inductive content analysis; two broader cheating themes encompassing six sub-themes emerged 1) perceptions of cheating (individual-oriented, peer-oriented, and frequency of occurrence) and 2) consequences of cheating (commitment, emotional responses, and relationship outcomes). Mexican American girls spoke most frequently and strongly about cheating, followed by White girls. The meaning and contexts of cheating by ethnicity and gender has important implications for promoting healthy dating behavior during adolescence. (Contains 2 tables.)

Because the ability to flexibly experience and appropriately express emotions across a range of developmentally relevant contexts is crucial to adaptive functioning, we examined how adolescent attachment security may be related to more functional emotional behavior during a relationship promoting interaction task. Data were collected from 74 early adolescent girls (Mean age 13.45 years; SD = 0.68; 89% Caucasian) and their primary caregiver. Results indicated that, regardless of the parent's interaction behavior and the level of stress in the parent-adolescent relationship, greater adolescent security was associated with more positive and less negative behavioral displays, including greater positivity, greater coherence of verbal content and affect, less embarrassment, and less emotional dysregulation in response to a situational demand for establishing intimacy with the parent. Implications for encouraging and fostering adolescents' capacity to respond to interpersonal contexts in ways that promote the relationship are discussed. (Contains 3 tables.)

This longitudinal study examined sexual intercourse within adolescent romantic relationships as a couple-level moderator of the association between adolescent individual characteristics and depressive symptoms. Two hundred nine middle- and older-adolescent dating couples (aged 14-17 and 17-21, respectively) reported on their own self-silencing, depressive symptoms, and sexual behaviors. At Time 1, frequency of sexual intercourse significantly moderated the relationship between self-silencing and depressive symptoms, such that adolescents higher in self-silencing engaging in more frequent sex were at risk for clinically significant levels of depression. Adolescents who were low in self-silencing were not at increased risk for depression, regardless of frequency of sex. Self-silencing also significantly predicted increases in depressive symptoms from Time 1 to Time 2. Implications include the possibility that frequent sex in highly self-silencing adolescents exacerbates psychological depletion believed to link self-silencing to depressive symptoms, and that this depletion compounds over time. (Contains 1 figure and 2 tables.)

Davila and colleagues (Davila et al., 2009) developed the Romantic Competence Interview to capture the potential for romantic competence during early adolescence. Considering that at later stages of adolescence the majority are likely to be involved in some kind of romantic relationship, the current paper adapts, extends, and examines the concept of romantic competence among older adolescents. Seventy two Israeli adolescent girls (mean age 17.17 years) were given a revised version of the RCI along with measures of quality of relationship with romantic partners and parents, and quality of parental marital satisfaction. Mothers were also interviewed and were asked to talk about their attitudes toward daughters' romantic behavior. Results showed that RCI scales were reliably coded and exhibited good construct validity. The meaning and expression of romantic competence among older adolescents is conceptualized and discussed within the framework of developmental and agency perspectives.

Using a sample of 199 adolescents, the present study examined Furman and Wehner's (1999) hypothesis that the predictors of the degree of romantic involvement and the predictors of romantic relationship cognitions and qualities differ. As hypothesized, physical appearance and friends' normative romantic involvement were related to the degree of casual and serious romantic involvement, whereas relational styles regarding friends and parents were unrelated in almost all cases. On the other hand, relational styles regarding friends and parents were related to supportive and negative romantic interactions and romantic styles. In contrast, physical appearance and friends' normative romantic involvement were generally unrelated to interactions and romantic styles. Physical appearance was also related to romantic appeal and satisfaction. (Contains 3 tables.)

This study examined romantic partner selection and socialization of substance use (cigarettes, alcohol) and behavior problems among a sample of 78 young adolescents (6th-8th graders) over eleven months. Adolescent and romantic partner behaviors were assessed before and after relationships were initiated via school records and self-report. Most selection and socialization effects were apparent for the eighth grade adolescents (at Time 1). Prior to their relationship, eighth graders and romantic partners were alike on alcohol use. In contrast, romantic socialization effects emerged for eighth graders' cigarette use and behavior problems. The nature of the partner socialization effects depended on the combination of adolescents' and partners' pre-relationship behaviors. Eighth graders who dated partners with fewer problems showed the greatest instability in their behavior problems and partner behavior predicted greater decreased in problem behaviors among adolescents with more problems. The implications of these findings are discussed within the broader context of adolescent peer relationships. (Contains 4 figures and 4 tables.)

Adolescents lead enormously complicated social lives. Many youth find it difficult to keep track of their own relationships with friends and romantic interests. For the investigator, the task is exponentially more complex because overlapping and interlocking relationships and networks must be disentangled, dissected, and diagrammed. This special issue contains some important new findings about peers, but it is equally noteworthy because it illustrates several significant methodological changes in the way we do business. New ways of thinking about peers and new ways of analyzing data about peer relationships promise to simplify many aspects of our research enterprise. Pictograms occupying every bit of space on laboratory walls are rapidly becoming a thing of the past. By the same token, however, these advances have revealed the limits of our assumptions and the inadequacies of our practices, particularly when it comes to the depth and frequency of our data collection efforts. This is the paradox of progress. In this essay I will summarize some of the methodological developments highlighted in this special section and I will describe some important implications that these improvements hold for research in the future.

Capturing the multiple aspects of the romantic peer context is a significant challenge for research. One often recommended option is to use reports of multiple relationship features from both members of the romantic dyad. Using a new measure, we extended an existing model of dyadic perception (Kenny & Acitelli, 2001) to investigate associations between couples' (N = 148) reports about the positive and negative dimensions of their romantic relationships. Differences by participant age and relationship length were examined to test developmental hypotheses, and attachment and well-being were examined as correlates of participants' romantic perceptions. Agreement between partners was low, but associations of individuals' reports about themselves and their partners were high (projection). Agreement about negative romantic behaviors was higher in older compared to younger individuals and agreement about positive behaviors was higher in longer compared to shorter relationships. Partner similarity in negative behavior was higher than similarity in positive behavior. Individuals with better well-being reported more positive romantic behaviors, and attachment security was associated in some cases. Males were more negative about romantic behaviors than females, but there was no gender difference in agreement or projection. (Contains 1 figure and 3 tables.)

There is some evidence that adolescent romantic involvement is associated with delinquent behaviour. One aim of this longitudinal study was to determine whether this holds for romantic relationships deemed important by the participants. A second aim was to test whether this association was stronger for adolescents with pre-existing delinquent behaviour and personality traits of impulsivity and thrill seeking (delinquency propensity). Sex differences also were examined. Participants were 686 7th and 8th grade students who completed three assessments over three years. The results showed that delinquency was associated with earlier romantic relationships among those who were higher in delinquency propensity one year earlier. This association was stronger among girls than boys. Thus, romantic relationships amplified girls' and boys' existing delinquency propensity, but this was strongest among girls. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)

This study examined the developmental trajectories of parent-child relationships in adolescence, especially with respect to changes in support levels and negativity, and analyzed if and how these trajectories were associated with the subsequent quality of romantic relationships in young adulthood. A sample of 145 German subjects was followed across six waves (i.e., ages 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, and 23 years). Growth mixture modeling revealed three developmental trajectories of parent-child relationships across adolescence (i.e., normative, increasingly negative, and decreasingly negative/distant), which were associated with the quality of romantic outcomes at two times in emerging adulthood. Earlier mother-adolescent relationships were distinctively linked with connectedness and sexual attraction experienced in young adults' romantic relationships. Distant father-child relationships during adolescence were linked with the child's later anxious love. (Contains 5 tables and 2 figures.)

This study examines the association between adolescents' relational schemas and their subjective understanding of interactions in the context of male-female romantic relationships. We employed an innovative multimodal methodology: the video-recall system [Welsh, D. P., & Dickson, J. W. (2005). Video-recall procedures for examining subjective understanding in observational data. "Journal of Family Psychology", 19(1), 62-71], which includes both adolescent participants' perspectives, as well as those of trained coders. Dyadic structural equation modeling (SEM) with latent variables was used to examine two dependent variables: Discomfort and Power. Relational schemas were only associated with the participants' interpretation of Discomfort, and did not differ by gender. The association between relational schemas and Power were different by gender, suggesting males and females with more vulnerable relational schemas may employ different strategies to cope with their insecurity. Males' relational schemas were also associated with the observers' interpretations of Power for both couple members. Possible implications of this finding for attachment theory and adolescent romantic relationships are discussed. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)

Romantic relationships matter for adolescents. Experiences in romantic relationships facilitate key areas of personal and interpersonal development, however, problems in romantic relationships and lack of positive role models can lead to increased risk of developing unhealthy relationship patterns that can persist into adulthood. The goals of this applied research project were to examine the effectiveness of a youth-focused relationships education curriculum, and to use the knowledge gained to inform practices in relationships education for adolescents. Findings from pre and post-intervention assessments and from two follow-up surveys provide evidence of program success and offer key insights for the development of an effective model of relationships education tailored for adolescents. (Contains 3 tables and 7 figures.)

Our objective was to examine the prevalence and developmental significance of romantic break-ups in adolescence, a relatively unexplored area of study. We examined their occurrence in a sample of 910 adolescents, first noting the frequency of these events across age, gender, and romantic experience, and then analyzing the dissolution explanations provided by a subsample (N = 211) who experienced a break-up within the past 6 months. Break-ups were reported by 23% of youth, especially those with extensive romantic experience. Most were described as self-initiated, especially by girls. Using a categorical-content approach, we determined that the majority of dissolution explanations reflected "fit failures" in meeting developmentally salient romantic needs, especially those related to interdependence. Patterns were consistent across gender and age, however, those with romantic experience focused most on unmet intimacy needs. We discuss the developmental significance of break-ups, noting continuity between the needs expressed in intact and dissolving relationships. (Contains 2 tables.)

Building on evidence that romantic experiences are associated with depressive symptoms in adolescence, we examined their bidirectional association, as well as the role of sexual activity and parent-adolescent stress in their association. Data were collected from 71 early adolescent girls (M age 13.45 years; SD = 0.68) and their primary caregiver initially and one year later. Results indicated that adolescents who engaged in more romantic activities experienced increases in depressive symptoms over time. Second, greater depressive symptoms predicted romantic involvement and sexual activities, including intercourse, one year later. Third, dysphoric adolescents who were experiencing higher parent-adolescent stress were the most likely to engage in subsequent sexual intercourse. Implications for understanding how the association between depressive symptoms and romantic and sexual experiences develops and the course of this association are discussed. (Contains 1 figure and 4 tables.)

Co-rumination, or excessive discussion of problems within friendships, has been associated with internalizing symptoms and is especially prevalent among adolescent girls. Eighty-three early adolescent girls participated in a prospective study further examining this construct. Co-rumination was positively correlated with depressive symptoms and positive aspects of friendship, but did not predict longitudinal changes in depressive symptoms. Co-rumination was negatively related to social anxiety when controlling for depressive symptoms. Co-rumination correlated positively with romantic experiences, and the two interacted to predict longitudinal changes in depressive symptoms, implying that co-rumination may only be depressogenic under certain circumstances. Theoretical ramifications for the construct of co-rumination and interpersonal aspects of adolescent internalizing symptoms are discussed. (Contains 1 figure and 2 tables.)

This article presents preliminary psychometric data on the reliability and validity of the newly developed Romantic Competence Interview (RCI). The RCI is an interviewer-assessed measure designed to assess competence among adolescents regardless of romantic relationship status. Eighty-three early adolescent girls (m age = 13.45 years) recruited from local school districts were administered the RCI along with other measures of social competence, and peer and romantic functioning. Concurrent and 1-year predictive associations were examined. Results indicated that the RCI was reliably coded and demonstrated good construct validity. Implications for the conceptualization and measurement of romantic competence are discussed, as is the importance of attending to issues of competence early in adolescence. (Contains 3 tables.)

This study examines the responses of informal helpers to adolescents who disclose dating violence or upsetting but non-violent experiences in their romantic relationships. Based on a survey of 224 Midwestern high school students, the study found that youths were more likely to disclose problems to friends rather than others. A factor analysis of potential helpers' responses showed that, compared to avoidance and minimization, nurturing was the most typical response received. Adolescents who told someone about being victimized by severe dating violence were more likely to receive an avoidance response than those who told about less severe dating violence. Males encountered high levels of minimization regarding less severe dating violence. While friends and family seem to respond effectively to romantic relationship problems, youths need more training in how to respond helpfully to friends' difficulties with dating violence or how to encourage victims to seek help from trained practitioners.

This study examined the psychometric properties of an adolescent version of the "triangular love scale" (TLS), which assesses three components of romantic relationships: intimacy, passion, and commitment. Using data from 435 Dutch adolescents aged 12-18 years, we found evidence for convergent validity, showing that dimensions of intimacy, passion, and commitment were all positively correlated with relationship satisfaction and duration. Evidence was also found for divergent validity, as adolescents' perceptions of the main (dis)advantages of being involved in romantic relationships showed a specific pattern of associations with intimacy, passion, and commitment. Finally, CFA analyses in LISREL showed that a model in which all separate questionnaire items were specified to load on three underlying, correlated factors (intimacy, passion, commitment) fit the data adequately. Overall, this measure seems appropriate for use with adolescents.

This study examined the linkages between identity formation and romantic attachment in an ethnically diverse sample of high school (n=189) and college students (n=324). Individuals in the foreclosed identity status group had significantly lower relationship avoidance scores than the diffused identity status group, and the foreclosed group had significantly lower relationship anxiety scores than both the achieved identity and moratorium groups. Identity status and romantic attachment style were significantly related among the college sample, but not among the high school sample. Some ethnic differences in attachment style were noted. Developmental implications are discussed.

This study examined the predictors of longevity among 40 late adolescent romantic couples (mean age males=17.71 years; mean age females=17.18 years). Subjects were given a revealed differences task where they were asked to solve their disagreements. The joint task was recorded, transcribed and analysed by two raters. At 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months after this procedure, partners were contacted by telephone and asked whether their relationship was still intact. A cluster analysis was performed on couples' interaction indices and yielded three distinctive conflict resolution patterns. The "Downplaying" pattern was characterized by a high tendency to minimize the conflict. The relationships of the adolescents displaying this pattern stayed intact for a period of 9 months. Half of them were still together after 24 months. The "adolescents displaying the Integrative" pattern, which shows a good ability to negotiate differences tended to stay together over a period of 24 months. Those showing the "Conflictive" pattern, characterized by a confrontative interaction, were separated by the 3 months follow-up. Results are discussed within the context of developmental perspectives of conflict resolution tendencies and adolescent romance.

This is an exploratory study of the associations among parental warmth, peer support, gender, and emotional distress in a sample of 308 adolescents in the United States. Parental warmth was associated with less emotional distress, whereas turning to peers for support during family conflict was associated with more emotional distress. Gender moderated these associations in multivariate analyses. Emotional distress was highest among females who reported low levels of parental warmth and who turned to peers for support, in comparison with females who also turned to peers for support but had higher parental warmth. Findings contribute to a growing literature on contextual factors associated with adolescent psychosocial well-being.

Using a sample of 1227 Swedish adolescents we examined peer relations across contexts and for multiple peer targets (three ''Very Important Persons'', VIPs). Specifically, we examined the relations between antisocial behaviour and the types of relationships individuals had with their VIPs (e.g. friend, romantic partner), the contexts in which they had met, and where they spent time (e.g. school, neighbourhood, club). Additionally, we tested an ''additive homophily'' hypothesis, or the idea that youths would show unique similarities to multiple peers. Results showed that individuals who nominated romantic partners as their first VIPs were the most antisocial (both boys and girls), and individuals who had met and spent time with their first VIPs in the neighbourhood were also the most antisocial. Similar results were found for the antisocial behaviour of the first VIP. Finally, results supported the additive homophily hypothesis, showing that significantly more variance in individual behaviour is explained when including second and third VIPs.

Examines associations between relationship duration, qualities, and sexual behaviors in adolescent couples (N=61). Frequency of sexual behavior and perception of global relationship predicted relationship length. Positive relationship qualities were associated with relationship longevity for male partners only. Discusses findings in light of gaps in understanding the relational context of adolescent sexual behavior. (Author/JDM)

Examines 144 adolescents' perceptions of parents' (N=209) disclosure of their own lives. Results indicate that college-aged adolescents believe that their mothers disclose more to them than their fathers, especially about their problems. Mothers were also perceived to disclose for different, more emotional reasons than fathers and were thought to seek advice more often. (RJM)

Adolescents (n=349) completed questionnaire evaluating friendships, expectations, intimacy and attachment, and conflict with friends. Found small differences in friendship network across gender and age. Girls expected more from their friends than did boys, and girls' level of attachment and intimacy with friends was greater. Number of friends in network was not significantly correlated with personal adjustment variables. (Author/NB)

Study of clinic and nonclinic adolescents revealed little difference between groups in terms of adolescents' perceptions of family functioning but strong relationships between self-concept and family functioning variables. Second study of mothers' and adolescents' perceptions of family functioning in clinic and nonclinic groups revealed clear differences between groups of mothers and between nonclinic adolescents and their mothers. (Author/NB)

Administered Fundamental Interpersonal Relationship Inventory to 207 adolescents to assess perceived expressions and desires in 3 categories of interpersonal relationships: inclusion (companionship), control (leadership), and affection (intimacy). Found differences in expression of all categories; desire for inclusion and affection. Males ranked control expressed highest and affection desired lowest; females ranked affection desired highest and control expressed lowest. (Author/NB)

The present longitudinal study tested for the role of perceived parental autonomy-support and late adolescents' self-worth in their intimacy development. A sample of 497 Belgian late adolescents (Mage = 17.9, 43.5% girls) participated in this two-wave study. Results indicated that perceived autonomy-supportive parenting did not relate significantly to change in adolescents' experienced intimacy (in terms of closeness and mutuality), but was associated with a decrease in unmitigated agency (an excessive focus on the self) and unmitigated communion (an excessive focus on the other) across time. Adolescents' self-worth predicted an increase in experienced intimacy and a decrease in unmitigated agency and communion, and the initial level of experienced intimacy predicted an increase in self-worth. Finally, results suggested that adolescents' self-worth may mediate some of the longitudinal relations between perceived parental autonomy-support and adolescents' intimate functioning. No evidence was found for moderation by romantic involvement, gender or age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The search for the self and for an intimate other are the normative tasks of adolescence and early adulthood. The role of emotions in the resolution of these developmental tasks, however, remains largely under-studied, especially in non-western cultures. The objective of the present study, therefore, was to examine the relationships between emotional intelligence, identity, and intimacy, among Indian adolescents. Differences across genders (boys vs. girls) and types of school (gender segregated vs. integrated) were also explored. A sample of 486 adolescents completed measures of emotional intelligence, identity, and intimacy. Girls scored higher than boys on intimacy, and those from segregated schools scored higher, than those from integrated schools, on emotional intelligence. Significant relationships emerged between emotional intelligence, and identity and intimacy, and were invariant across the groups. These findings underscore the pivotal role that emotional intelligence plays in healthy adolescent development, irrespective of personal and environmental variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined whether the characteristics of the other partner in a dyad could reveal some unique intimate relationships regardless of the commonalties in the intimate relationships adolescents and emerging adults endorse with four important partners (mother, father, female and male peers). Six hundred and thirteen (56.8% female) Greek adolescents and emerging adults participated in the study. Participants endorsed their agreement to nine items addressing issues of intimacy and companionship. The intimate relationships with the four important partners share some common characteristics reflecting the person who endorses the intimate relationships and are also reciprocal, depending on who is the other partner in the dyad. The intimacy participants endorsed with their parents contributed to the intimate relationship with their peers of the same sex with the parent. The way Greek youth is gendered could explain the characteristics of the intimate relationships they endorse with the other partners in the dyads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]