A cluster analysis of dynamics in adolescent romantic relationships

Abstract

Introduction While several studies involving adolescents have addressed issues related to romantic relationships and dating violence, there is a limited understanding of adolescent romantic relationship dynamics. Typological analyses have been useful to provide targeted interventions and to simplify our understanding of complex phenomena. Methods This study explored dynamics in adolescent romantic relationships, considering the interaction between romantic partner characteristics to identify dyadic profiles. A sample of 90 heterosexual dyads of Canadian adolescents (Mage = 18.44 years, SD = 1.47) completed a self‐reported questionnaire. A hierarchical cluster analysis was conducted based on the dimensions of the Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems (i.e., cohesion, flexibility, and communication; Olson & Gorall, 2003). Results Analysis revealed four profiles of romantic relationship dynamics: 1) balanced dynamic (51.0% of the sample); 2) hampered dynamic (8.3%); 3) entangled dynamic (20.8%); and 4) rigid dynamic (13.5%). Taking into account the variations between and within dyads, results highlight the diversity of romantic experiences and offer a better understanding of the intricacies of different adolescent romantic relationship dynamics. Correlates indicated that the profiles can be distinguished by different personal and interpersonal characteristics. Conclusion This study emphasizes the importance of integrating a more person‐ and dyad‐oriented framework in our understanding of adolescent romantic dynamics, since a unique approach to prevention and intervention may not address the needs of all adolescents. The results provided important insight into the identified profiles, guiding dating violence prevention efforts and programs and promoting harmonious and egalitarian romantic relationships.

Canadian Adolescents’ Experiences of Dating Violence: Associations with Social Power Imbalances

“…To do this, we will use a person-centered approach to explore patterns of ADV. Some other recent studies have utilized person-centered approaches (e.g., LCA, cluster analysis) to examine subgroups of adolescents with regard to patterns of violence in the romantic context (e.g., Couture et al, 2021 ; French et al, 2014 ; Martin-Storey et al, 2021 ; Sessarego et al, 2021 ; Siller et al, 2022 ; Théorêt et al, 2021 ; Thulin et al., 2020 ), but with varying findings. Based on this prior work, we hypothesize that four ADV patterns will emerge in our sample: perpetration only, victimization only, mutual violence, and uninvolved (e.g., not engaging in ADV).…”

Associations Between Adolescents' Antisocial Behavior, Conflict Management Styles, and Romantic Relationship Breakup: An Observational Study

“…Three separate models were used for each outcome rather than one model with all three outcomes due to the sample size being relatively small. Although the sample size for the current study is comparable to other samples used in dyadic research (Couture et al, 2020(Couture et al, , 2021Kohlberger et al, 2019;Lantagne & Furman, 2021), the sample size is too small to include all three outcomes in one multivariate model because too many parameters would be estimated at once which would result in inadequate power. The previously stated covariates were included in all three models.…”