THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUNG ADULT COMMITTED DATING RELATIONSHIPS
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Date
2023-05-03
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Authors
Mutyala, Apoorva
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Publisher
East Carolina University
Abstract
Background: Individuals who promote and hold strong romantic beliefs also have greater expectations that an ideal relationship would conform to their standards. Unmet expectations in a relationship can lead to overall negative life satisfaction. There are various methods as to which individuals establish and maintain these committed dating relationships.
Objective: We aim to determine if young adults at ECU are creating committed dating relationships and what steps are being taken to establish them.
Methods: Young adults (N = 195) completed a Qualtrics survey including questions about demographic information, relationship status, appropriate actions, transitional events, and overall satisfaction. The survey was analyzed based on sex (males (64) and females (131)) as well as relationship status (single (93), talking (33), or dating (69)).
Results: Independent sample t-test were run to examine the differences among groups. Dating individuals had the highest satisfaction rates in their relationship compared to those single or talking. Talking and single individuals seemed to be in the most agreement upon a 1-6 month talking stage. There was great variation in what was appropriate in the talking stage between the single, talking, and dating individuals. Male participants had little to no variation in results when asked about that is appropriate during the talking stage compared to female participants. There was also little variation in what caused a relationship to transition from the talking stage to a committed dating relationship between all groups.
Conclusions: The talking stage generally ranges from 1-6 months in a young adult’s life. Having an individual’s talking partner invite them to a formal, committed dating relationship seems to be the most agreed-upon event for transition.