Predictors and Consequences of Involvement in AgeDiscrepant Romantic

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Predictors and Consequences of Involvement in Age-Discrepant Romantic Relationships Amy Bender Hanover College 2007

Predictors and Consequences of Involvement in Age-Discrepant Romantic Relationships Amy Bender Hanover College 2007

Questions l l l Who gets involved in age-discrepant relationships? Are individuals involved in

Questions l l l Who gets involved in age-discrepant relationships? Are individuals involved in age-discrepant relationships less satisfied? Why are they less satisfied?

Existing Research: Who becomes involved in age-discrepant relationships? l Demographic characteristics – People who

Existing Research: Who becomes involved in age-discrepant relationships? l Demographic characteristics – People who become involved in age-discrepant relationships tend to be older, previously married, and have lower levels of education (Shenan, 2003). l Relationship – attitudes People who become involved in age-discrepant relationships tend to have had insecure attachments to caregivers as children (Prager, 1995).

Existing Research: What are the outcomes of these relationships? l Attitudes – Both adults

Existing Research: What are the outcomes of these relationships? l Attitudes – Both adults and adolescents believe that agediscrepant relationships will be less successful than age-similar relationships, especially when the woman is older (Cowan, 1984).

Existing Research: What are the outcomes of these relationships? l Empirical Research – Zak

Existing Research: What are the outcomes of these relationships? l Empirical Research – Zak (2001) found that individuals in agediscrepant relationships reported more unselfish, sacrificing love and experienced less jealousy than those in age-similar relationships.

Research Question 1 l What are the predictors of involvement in age -discrepant relationships?

Research Question 1 l What are the predictors of involvement in age -discrepant relationships? – Demographic characteristics l Ethnicity, – relationship status, education level Ages of parents l Social Learning Theory (Bandura)

Research Question 2 l Are people who are involved in agediscrepant relationships less satisfied

Research Question 2 l Are people who are involved in agediscrepant relationships less satisfied than those who are involved in age-similar relationships? – Examine relationship satisfaction

Research Question 3 l What is the process by which agediscrepancy is linked to

Research Question 3 l What is the process by which agediscrepancy is linked to satisfaction? l Examine exchange orientation as the mediator l Under-benefiting versus over-benefiting exchange orientation (Sprecher, 1998)

Method l Participants - N= 69 (14 male, 55 female; 85% Caucasian) - Age

Method l Participants - N= 69 (14 male, 55 female; 85% Caucasian) - Age range: 18 to 56 years (mean= 25 years) - Age difference range: 0 to 28 years l 43 younger partner, 10 same age, 15 older partner

Relationship Status

Relationship Status

Education Level

Education Level

Method l Participants answered questionnaires on-line – – – Demographic survey Relationship satisfaction scale

Method l Participants answered questionnaires on-line – – – Demographic survey Relationship satisfaction scale (Hendrick, 1988) Exchange-orientation scale (Sprecher, 1998)

Relationship Satisfaction Scale l 7 -item scale assessing relationship satisfaction -How well does partner

Relationship Satisfaction Scale l 7 -item scale assessing relationship satisfaction -How well does partner meet your needs? l -Likert scale ranging from 1 (poorly) to 5 (extremely well). Reliability: alpha =. 90

Exchange-Orientation Scale l 40 -item scale assessing amount of exchange within relationship - Under-benefiting:

Exchange-Orientation Scale l 40 -item scale assessing amount of exchange within relationship - Under-benefiting: I usually do not forget if my partner owes me a favor. - Over-benefiting: I usually do not forget if I owe my partner a favor. -Likert scale ranging from 1(strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). l Reliability: UEO alpha=. 85; OEO alpha=. 81

Results l What are the predictors of involvement in age -discrepant relationships? Ethnicity: not

Results l What are the predictors of involvement in age -discrepant relationships? Ethnicity: not significant Relationship status: not significant Education level: not significant Parents’ age difference: r =. 27, p=. 03

Results l Are people who are involved in agediscrepant relationships less satisfied than those

Results l Are people who are involved in agediscrepant relationships less satisfied than those who are involved in age-similar relationships? - Yes. However, the correlation between agediscrepancy and satisfaction is significant only among participants who were the younger partner, r = -. 49, p=. 001.

Results l What is the process by which age-discrepancy is linked to satisfaction? Does

Results l What is the process by which age-discrepancy is linked to satisfaction? Does exchange orientation serve as a mediator? UEO B=. 34, p=. 024 B=-. 29, p=. 04 Age Discrepancy Satisfaction B=-. 49, p=. 001 B=-. 39, p=. 01

Discussion l l People who are involved in age-discrepant relationships are more likely to

Discussion l l People who are involved in age-discrepant relationships are more likely to have parents who are involved in an age-discrepant relationship Younger partners in age-discrepant relationships are less satisfied, in part because they feel they are under-benefiting