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. 2016 Dec;4(6):403-416.
doi: 10.1177/2167696816631098. Epub 2016 Feb 22.

A Prospective Study of Adolescents' Sexual Partnerships on Emerging Adults' Relationship Satisfaction and Intimate Partner Aggression

Monica A Longmore  1 , Wendy D Manning  1 , Jennifer E Copp  2 , Peggy C Giordano  1
Affiliations

A Prospective Study of Adolescents' Sexual Partnerships on Emerging Adults' Relationship Satisfaction and Intimate Partner Aggression

Monica A Longmore et al. Emerg Adulthood. 2016 Dec.

Abstract

We examined whether the influence of adolescents' sexual partnerships, both dating and casual, carried over to affect emerging adults' relationship satisfaction and experiences of intimate partner aggression. Analyses of longitudinal data from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (n = 294) showed that net of control variables (delinquency, depression, family violence, relational and sociodemographic characteristics), adolescents' number of dating, but not casual, sexual partners led to greater odds of intimate partner aggression during emerging adulthood. Further, relationship churning (breaking-up and getting back together) and sexual non-exclusivity during emerging adulthood mediated the influence of adolescents' number of dating sexual partnerships on intimate partner aggression. The positive effect of dating sexual partnerships on intimate partner aggression was stronger for women compared with men. These findings confirm the long reach of adolescent experiences into emerging adulthood.

Keywords: adolescent casual sex; adolescent dating; intimate partner violence; relationship satisfaction.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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