Characteristics of closeness in adolescent romantic relationships

This investigation was designed to describe characteristics of closeness in the romantic relationships of early, mid and late adolescents, and to determine whether adolescent reports of relationship authority and reciprocity are linked to perceptions of interdependence, interaction frequency, activity diversity, influence, and relationship duration. Age was positively associated with interdependence, daily social interaction, weekly activity diversity, and reciprocity but not with influence, authority, or relationship duration; gender was unrelated to all characteristics of closeness. Authority and reciprocity were each positively associated with relationship influence. Authority moderated associations between reciprocity and several characteristics of closeness such that reciprocity was positively linked to interdependence, daily social interaction, and weekly activity diversity, but only in relationships characterized by low levels of authority. Neither reciprocity nor authority was associated with relationship duration. (C) 2001 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents.