Romantic Relationship Satisfaction and Young Adult Externalizing Behavior Problems: Application of t

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Romantic Relationship Satisfaction and Young
Adult Externalizing Behavior Problems
Application of the Actor-Partner Interdependence
Model Manfred H. M. van Dulmen, Elizabeth A.
Goncy, Andrea D. Mata Kent State University,
Department of Psychology

• Background Rationale
• A number of empirical studies link experiences
  in romantic relationships to externalizing
  behavior problems (e.g. Laub Sampson, 2003
  Meeus et al., 2004 van Dulmen et al., 2008).
• Findings generally indicate that involvement in
  high quality and satisfactory romantic
  relationships is associated with decreases in
  externalizing behavior problems
• Large majority of previous studies have relied on
  individual level data and have not included
  partner (dyadic) level data
• Therefore it is not clear to what degree the
  association between romantic relationship quality
  and externalizing behavior problem reflects self,
  partner, or couple effects.
• Current project focuses on dyadic level data to
  investigate
• (a) to what degree do partner reports of romantic
  relationship functioning contribute to
  understanding individual differences in
  externalizing behavior problems?
• (b) to what degree are both self and partner
  reports of romantic relationship functioning
  important in understanding individual differences
  in externalizing behavior problems.

• Methods
• Participants
• Transitions into Adulthood and Romantic
  Relationships (TARR) project
• Multi-Method (interview, self-report, couple
  observation, daily diary) project on young adult
  romantic relationship functioning (N238)
• 119 heterosexual couples (age M 19.82 years)
• Involved in a committed romantic relationship for
  at least 4 months.
• Primary participant recruited through Psychology
  Subject Pool.
• 51 had been together for at least 1 year (none
  married)
• Predominantly White (86)
• Measures for Current Project
• Achenbach self-report externalizing behavior
  sub-scale (Achenbach Resorta, 2003)
• Relationship Adjustment Scale (Hendrick, 1988),
  total score

• Conclusions Future Directions
• Current study extends previous findings by
  suggesting that the association between romantic
  relationship processes and externalizing behavior
  problems is not simply due to shared method bias
• Confirms some previous findings that romantic
  relationship processes may be a more salient
  developmental context for females compared to
  males during young adulthood
• Future directions include extensions to
• multiple informant data on the dependent variable
  (i.e. partner report on externalizing behavior
  problems)
• Specificity of model to externalizing versus
  internalizing behavior problems

• Analytic Approach Current Study
• Investigate association between romantic
  relationship satisfaction and externalizing
  behavior problems using the Actor-Partner
  Interdependence Model (Kenny, Kashy, Cook,
  2006) (path analysis approach in Mplus 5.1)
• Actor Effects Self report of romantic
  relationship functioning ? self externalizing
  behavior problems NE 0
• Partner Effects Self report of romantic
  relationship functioning ? partner externalizing
  behavior problems NE 0
• Couple Effects Actor Partner Effects 0

• Results (Figure 1)
• Negative relationship between romantic
  relationship satisfaction and externalizing
  behavior problems
• Stronger partner compared to actor effects
• Partner and actor effects stronger for females
  compared to males

Acknowledgment This project was partially funded
by the Center for the Treatment and Study of
Traumatic Stress (Summa Health Systems/Kent State
University). Please address correspondence
regarding this project to Manfred van Dulmen
mvandul_at_kent.edu. For handouts please visit
Adolescent Developmental Psychopathology Lab
Website http//dept.kent.edu/psychology/ADPlab/Ind
ex.html