Relational uncertainty, parent interference, and conversations about the state of the relationship as predictors of relational turbulence In romantic relationships

Abstract

A prevalent yet under-researched experience romantic partners are likely to navigate is their parents’ involvement in the relationship. This social process merits further attention because of its implications on young adults’ ability to relate to their romantic partner. Using relational turbulence theory (Solomon et al., 2016), the present study investigated how parental involvement contributes to a chain of heightened subjective experiences within romantic relationships that can result in turbulence. Data was collected from a sample of 264 college students and was analyzed using Pearson’s product-moment correlations and Hayes’s (2018) PROCESS macro for SPSS. Results indicated that parent involvement was associated with the valence of young adult children’s conversations with their romantic partner. Additionally, the indirect association between relational uncertainty and relational turbulence through communication valence depended upon parent interference and facilitation, which was further conditioned by whether the young adult child valued their parent’s opinions about their romantic relationship.