Romantic relationships during emerging adulthood: associations with adult attachment and previous relationship experiences
Date
2025
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
The current study explores the attachment styles and characteristics of individuals who have been in romantic relationships. This research expands previous romantic relationship experiences to include online dating, including topics of online grooming and dating app usage. Participants (n = 210) completed an online questionnaire assessing their attachment, relationship quality, childhood experiences, and online experiences. Analyses focused on examining associations among study variables. In general, results were consistent in that those participants who had insecure attachment tendencies also had more challenges in their romantic relationships, both in person and online. Specifically, insecure attachment was associated with reduced relationship quality and increased relationship difficulties, as well as with negative experiences online. Implications of these findings are discussed, and ideas for future research are explored.
Description
Keywords
Adult attachment, Emerging adulthood, Online dating, Online survey, Romantic relationships