The quality of close relationships in adulthood: the role of sociodemographic and environmental factors

Abstract

In order to better understand the phenomenon of the quality of different types of close relationships of adults, we have investigated several determinants which define them more clearly. We focused on the relational differences of the respondents according to several sociodemographic (age, gender, employment, marital status and children) and environmental factors (structure and relationships in the family). A total of 400 males and females, ranging from 19 to 51 years, completed a general questionnaire. It collected the data related to sociodemographic and environmental characteristics, as well as the Social Relations Network Inventory (NRI), which assessed the quality of five types of close relationships. The results indicate significant differences between the respondents in the quality of individual close relationships, based on the factors of age, gender, employment, marital status and parenthood, as well as according to the factors of the quality of family relations and parental marital status. The identified differences are particularly pronounced in terms of the quality of the relationship with the mother and the quality of the relationship with the friend, which is explained by the characteristic nature of these relationships, as well as the developmental roles and tasks of the adulthood.