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The association between romantic relationships and delinquency in adolescence and young adulthood
Author(s) -
CUI MING,
UENO KOJI,
FINCHAM FRANK D.,
DONNELLAN M. BRENT,
WICKRAMA K. A. S.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
personal relationships
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.81
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1475-6811
pISSN - 1350-4126
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-6811.2011.01366.x
Subject(s) - juvenile delinquency , psychology , association (psychology) , developmental psychology , romance , young adult , longitudinal study , early adulthood , human factors and ergonomics , injury prevention , differential association , poison control , medicine , medical emergency , pathology , psychoanalysis , psychotherapist
This study examined the association between romantic relationships and delinquency in adolescence and young adulthood. Using a large, longitudinal, and nationally representative sample, results from negative binomial regressions showed a positive association between romantic involvement and delinquency in adolescence. Furthermore, the cumulative number of romantic relationships from adolescence to young adulthood was positively related to delinquency in young adulthood even after controlling for earlier delinquency in adolescence. These analyses also controlled for the effects of participants' gender, age at initial assessment, puberty, race/ethnicity, and other demographic characteristics (e.g., family structure and parents' education). Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for understanding the role of romantic relationships in the development of young people and for stimulating future research questions.