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The Salience of Adolescent Romantic Experiences for Romantic Relationship Qualities in Young Adulthood
Author(s) -
Madsen Stephanie D.,
Collins W. Andrew
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of research on adolescence
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.342
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1532-7795
pISSN - 1050-8392
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-7795.2011.00737.x
Subject(s) - romance , psychology , developmental psychology , young adult , salience (neuroscience) , early adulthood , longitudinal study , mathematics , cognitive psychology , statistics , psychoanalysis
Conceptual links between aspects of adolescents' dating experiences (i.e., involvement and quality; ages 15–17.5) and qualities of their romantic relationships in young adulthood (ages 20–21) were examined in a prospective longitudinal design. Even after accounting for earlier relationship experiences with parents and peers, aspects of adolescent dating experiences predicted romantic relationship qualities in young adulthood. Adolescents who dated fewer partners in mid‐adolescence and who experienced a better quality dating relationship at age 16 demonstrated romantic partner interactions characterized by smoother relationship process in young adulthood (e.g., negotiating conflict to mutual satisfaction, effective and timely caregiving/seeking); adolescents who dated more partners in mid‐adolescence displayed greater negative affect in romantic partner interactions in young adulthood.