1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The current study pursued two research goals [...]. The first goal was to determine whether romantic relationship patterns are associated with different levels of independence in the middle of emerging adulthood (age 25) […]. The second goal was to determine whether the characteristics of youth’s love and family lives while navigating through emerging adulthood (i.e., whether or not they are in a couple relationship, living with their partner, the quality of and the length and perceived commitment to their relationship, and their parental status) are related to their romantic relationship pattern.» (p. 218)

Questions/Hypothèses :
«Recent studies have identified a number of romantic relationship patterns based on the number of different romantic partners and the number of years in a relationship in adolescence and emerging adulthood […]. The identification of these patterns has raised new questions. Are they associated with the gaining of independence, an important task in emerging adulthood? What quality of couple relationship do they lead to when youth progress through emerging adulthood?» (p. 216)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
L’échantillon de cette étude longitudinale est composé de 274 jeunes femmes vivant au Québec. Recrutées alors qu’elles étaient en 6e année du primaire dans une école québécoise, les participantes ont été sondées annuellement jusqu’à l’âge de 25 ans.

Instruments :
Questionnaire

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«[T]he results of this study bring out significant differences between the various romantic relationship patterns. The participants who reported stable and longer lasting relationships from adolescence to emerging adulthood (long-term involvement pattern) were ahead of their peers in terms of their level of independence and their involvement in a stable romantic relationship at age 25. Participants who had experienced more partner changes and higher levels of instability in their romantic relationships (frequent and intense involvement patterns) were also ahead of their peers in terms of having a job and being a parent. This lead in terms of having a job was most likely brought about by their being parents. Moreover, the participants who had become involved in romantic relationships at a later age (later involvement pattern) appeared to be set up to experience a longer period of emerging adulthood. Lastly, the sporadic involvement pattern did not stand out in terms of a faster or slower pace when it came to accomplishing the tasks associated with emerging adulthood, which suggests that this pattern pertains to a healthy developmental pathway.» (p. 221)