Predicting relationship quality and longevity from patterns of interaction in adolescent romantic relationships

This study examined the association between adolescent romantic couple members' interaction with each other and both their overall relationship quality and the stability of their relationships over time. Males', females', and trained observers' perceptions of couple interaction were used to predict couple members' commitment, intimacy, support, depth, and conflict. Both positive and negative behaviors effectively predicted several indices of relationship quality, with different patterns of association emerging for the different raters. Also, sequential patterns of interaction were associated with relationship quality. Couples who were able to manage low-intensity conflict in a reciprocal, mutually involved manner and in which males were more able to acknowledge and accept their girlfriends' positions reported higher overall relationship quality. In addition, the capacity of adolescent couples for mutually managing conflict discriminated those couples who stayed together over time from those who had broken up one year later. The developmental implications of these results are discussed and findings are contrasted with established findings from the literature on marital interaction.