Same-sex friendships of teens are the key to further satisfaction in dating relationships

Researchers have long known that the quality of an adult's romantic life is closely related to physical and mental health in adolescence. A new longitudinal study sought to identify the factors in adolescence that best predicted who would have a satisfying romantic life in their late twenties. The study found that the skills acquired by teens in friendship with same-bad peers were the most powerful predictors of subsequent romantic satisfaction.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Virginia and James Madison University, is published Development of the child, a journal of the Society for Research in Child Development.

"Despite teenagers' emphasis on teen dating, they do not prove to be the single most important predictor of the future success of romantic relationships," said Joseph P. Allen, a professor of psychology. at the University of Virginia, who led the study. "It's more the skills learned in friendships with same-bad peers, skills such as stability, badertiveness, intimacy, and social competence – that most closely match the skills needed to succeed in an adult relationship. "

The researchers interviewed and observed 165 adolescents aged 13 to 30; the youth lived in suburban and urban areas in the southeastern United States and the group was racially, ethnically and socio-economically heterogeneous. The study evaluated teenagers 'reports on the quality of their social and romantic relationships, as well as close friends' relationships. Each year, for a period of three years, at the age of 20, researchers also asked participants about their degree of satisfaction with the romantic life.

The study found that progress in the key social tasks of adolescent development predicted future romantic competence between 27 and 30 years, even though adolescent tasks were in non-core areas. romantic. For example:

• At the age of 13, the ability of adolescents to establish positive expectations about their relationships with peers and to badert themselves appropriately with their peers was the best predictor of future love satisfaction.
• At age 15 and 16, social competence, that is, the ability of teens to develop close friendships and manage a wide range of relationships with their peers, was the best predictor.
• And between the ages of 16 and 18, the ability of teens to form and maintain close and stable friendships was the best predictor of romantic satisfaction.

According to the study, these factors were more closely related than anything related to romantic teenage behavior, such as time spent with teens, their physical involvement in dating relationships, their badual behavior and their physical attractiveness. The researchers note that their study did not establish a causal process.

"Teenage relationships are much more likely to be transient and, as such, do not seem to be the primary means by which teens acquire the skills they need for the future. ", suggests Rachel K. Narr, PhD student at the University of Virginia. who co-wrote the study.

Provided by
Research Society on Child Development