The Qualities of Adolescent Romantic Relationships and Sexual Behavior: Reciprocal Effects

Peggy C. Giordano, Bowling Green State University
Monica A. Longmore, Bowling Green State University

Adolescent sexual and reproductive behaviors typically occur within a relationship context. Nonetheless, beyond rather schematic representations of relationships (e.g., casual vs. main partner; duration of the relationship), little is known about how relationship qualities influence sexual decision-making. The purpose of this analysis is to investigate how specific features of the relationship influence the decision to have sex within that relationship, as well as to explore how the experience of sexual intimacy influences subsequent relationship quality. We rely on the first two waves of interview data collected in connection with the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study. The stratified, random sampling design of the TARS study resulted in interviews with over 1300 adolescents, including oversamples of Hispanic and African American adolescents. In-depth relationship history narratives elicited from 100 of these respondents add depth to the developing portrait of ways in which relationships influence sexual decisions, and sexual intimacy influences or changes perceptions of relationship qualities and dynamics.