1. Introduction Results Conclusions Method
Adolescent Affect Predicts Adult Social Relationships Jessica Kansky, Joseph P. Allen, & Ed Diener University of Virginia. For more information please contact Jessica Kansky or visit We would like to thank the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development for funding awarded to Joseph P. Allen, Principal Investigator, (R01 HD & R01-MH58066) for funding to conduct this study as well as for the write-up of this study.
Measures
Intimate Relationship competence and Sociability were assessed using their respective 4-item subscales on the Adult Self-Perception profile (Harter, 1995). The close friendship 4-item subscale of the Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents (Harter, 1988) was used as the baseline measure for intimate relationships and sociability.
Participants and their romantic partners reported conflict within the relationship using the conflict subscale of the Network of Relationships Inventory (Furman & Buhrmester, 1985). The conflict subscale is composed of 3 items on a 5-point Likert scale.
The Affective Arousal Scale was used to assess adolescent positive and negative affect at age 14 (Porter, 2000). The AAS asks, “How ___ are you right now?” with participants responding on a visual analog scale ranging from “Not At All” to “Very.” Negative affect includes sad, worried, angry, upset and tense; positive affect includes happy and cheerful.
Introduction
Results
Prior research has found a strong link between subjective well-being and supportive social relationships (Frisch, 2005; Oishi, Diener, & Lucas, 2007).
In addition, one of the most consistent correlations with happiness is having strong relationships; however the direction of influence is uncertain.
Fewer studies have addressed the influence of positive and negative affect, two key components of subjective well-being, predicting specific qualities of social relationship functioning across the transition into adulthood.
Identifying the potential role of adolescent affect as a long-term predictor of specific interpersonal outcomes in adulthood may provide an understanding of the importance of teen temperament.
In this study, we investigated how adolescent positive and negative affect predicted relative changes specific components (i.e., intimate relationship competence, sociability, and conflict) of social functioning in adulthood.
Analyses using a Full Information Maximum Likelihood approach for handling missing data suggested that adolescent positive affect predicted sociability, intimate relationship competence, and self- and partner-reported conflict. Negative affect also predicted sociability and partner-reported conflict (see Figure 1).
Controlling for gender, income, and baseline social relationship functioning, positive affect at age14 predicted increased intimate relationship competence and sociability as well as decreased romantic conflict at age 25. Negative affect at age 14 also predicted lower sociability and more romantic conflict at age 25.
Conclusions
Results suggest that positive and negative affect behave as independent predictors of critical social outcomes.
The results suggest that adolescents with high positive affect report better intimate relationship competence and sociability and less conflict within romantic relationships indicating a bright affect influences multiple domains of interpersonal functioning as adults.
Adolescents with high negative affect report lower levels of sociability but it is only their partners who report more conflict. This indicates those with negative affect may not perceive problems within their romantic relationships.
This neglect may magnify negative consequences for the romantic relationship and individual.
Future Directions
Why does positive affect and not negative affect predict self-reports of romantic relationship quality?
Does adolescent affect predict friend-reports of the individual’s relationship quality?
What other specific relationship qualities (e.g. attachment, jealousy, support) are implicated?
Figure 1: Positive Affect Predicts Relatives Changes in Adult Social Relationships Controlling for Adolescent Interpersonal Functioning
Method
Age 25
Intimate Relationships
0.27***
-0.16
Participants
Participants were 184 individuals assessed at age 14, 17, and 25.
The sample was 58% European-American, 29% African-American, and 14% mixed race or other race/ethnicities.
Baseline median family income was in the $40,000 to $59,000 range
Procedure
Time 1 – At age 14, participants completed the Affective Arousal Scale and the Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents
Time 2 - At age 17, participants and their romantic partners completed the Network of Relationships Inventory
Time 3 – At age 25, participants completed the Adult Self-Perception Profile and the Network of Relationships Inventory
Age 14
0.30***
-0.25**
Sociability
Positive Affect
Negative Affect
-0.29**
0.16
Self-Report Conflict
Note. Coefficients are standardized betas. Gender, income and baseline social functioning were controlled for.
*p < .05, **p<.01, ***p<.001
Intimate Relationships
-0.27**
0.19*
Self-Report Conflict
Romantic Partner-Report Conflict