The present dissertation project investigated relationship enhancement following a brief self-disclosure task (i.e., the Fast Friends Procedure; FFP) via self-report and observational data. Thirty-three undergraduate couples dating for less than six months asked and answered questions that required increasingly higher levels of self-disclosure for…

This research aims to analyze the predictive role of self-esteem, attachment styles, and family of origin functions in explaining conflict resolution in romantic relationships. A total of 265 adult participants were administered Demographics Form, Conflict Resolution Styles Scale (CRSS), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), Experiences in Close…

The aim of this study was to determine the predictive power of university students' relationship beliefs and self-change on the relationship quality of their romantic relationships. The sample was composed of 361 university students, 212 women (58%) and 149 men (41%), enrolled at different state universities in three metropolises and currently…

The problem this study addressed involves how college students since the year 2020 in the U.S. have been negotiating romance, dating, and sexual relationships in the unique historical period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, this study addressed the problem of needing to determine how the pandemic may have disrupted college students' intimate…

This study aims to examine what extent self-esteem, perceived relationship self-efficacy, and attachment styles predict the attitudes of university students towards dating violence. The sample group of the study was composed of 769 (555 women, 214 men) university students who study at Mersin University. "Demographic Data Form",…

The purpose of this study is to examine irrational beliefs in romantic relationships as the predictor of aggression in emerging adults. The study is a quantitative study done using the relational survey model. The study group is composed of 351 fourth-year students, 201 females and 150 males, who were attending three universities in Central…

Interpersonal relationships are the recent focus of research identifying protective factors in adolescent psychological health. Using an attachment theory perspective, this study examines the relationship of normative attachment strength and individual differences in attachment expectancies on self-reports of depression and stress in 511…

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,…

The use of social and technological intermediaries to seek intimate partners has a long history. Yet the affordances and limitations of modern computer-mediated communication (CMC) systems built for this purpose--specifically, online dating sites--present new challenges and opportunities for those who use them to initiate intimate relationships.…

Physical and psychological aggression in dating relationships is prevalent among college students (e.g., Kaura & Lohman, 2007; Shook, Gerrity, Jurich, & Segrist, 2000; Straus, 2008), and students experiencing dating IPV are most likely to speak to friends (Prospero & Vohra-Gupta, 2008). The current study investigated differences in…

We employed the relational turbulence model to identify (a) relationship characteristics associated with people's appraisals of hurtful messages, and (b) features of hurtful episodes and relationship characteristics that correspond with the directness of communication about hurt. We conducted a study in which 135 dating couples reported on their…

Child abuse is an important determinant of future violence perpetration and victimization. Past research examining linkages between child abuse and adult intimate partner violence (IPV) has predominantly focused on married individuals and not considered adolescent dating violence. In the present study, data from three waves of the National…

Self-report scales assessing relationship-specific incentive and threat sensitivity were created. Initial tests of factor structure and associations with relationship quality were conducted in a sample of persons in intimate relationships (Study 1). Associations with conceptually related measures were examined to determine convergent and…

Potential pathways from childhood sexual abuse (CSA) to subsequent romantic intimacy problems were examined in a prospective longitudinal study of 160 ethnically diverse youth with confirmed CSA histories. Participants were interviewed at the time of abuse discovery, when they were 8-15 years of age, and again 1-6 years later. Stigmatization…

Concurrent and longitudinal relations between the amount of romantic experience and psychosocial adjustment were examined in a 1-year study of a community based sample of 200 tenth graders. Adolescents, parents, and friends completed measures of psychosocial adjustment. The amount of romantic experience was associated with higher reports of social…