Authors: Rauer, A. J., Pettit, G. S., Lansford, J. E., Bates, J. E., & Dodge, K. A.
Abstract
The modern society’s delayed entry into marriage raises questions about the trajectory of young adults’ romantic relationships and whether patterns observed in adolescent relationships persist into adulthood. This study examined the developmental transitions into and out of romantic relationships from age 18 to age 25 in a sample of 511 young adults. It also explored the developmental antecedents of these relationship experiences in both distal and proximal family and peer domains. The analysis utilized both person-oriented and variable-oriented approaches. The findings revealed five distinct clusters representing varying timing, duration, and frequency of participation in romantic relationships, ranging from recent entrants to those in continuous relationships from age 18 to age 25. These relationship trajectory clusters were predicted by differences in competence in early relationships with family and peers. Therefore, interpersonal experiences in family and peer contexts during early childhood through adolescence may serve as a foundation for later competence in romantic relationships. The findings provide insights into both normative and non-normative developmental transitions of romantic relationships in young adulthood.
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