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1. Intrapsychic and Attachment Influences on Adolescent Romantic JealousyErin M. Miga, Joseph P. Allen, Amanda HareUniversity of VirginiaThis study was made possible by funding from the National Institute of Mental Health awarded to Joseph P. Allen, Principal Investigator( Grant # R01-MH58066) INTRODUCTION METHOD Insert your information here • Participants & Procedure • Data were collected from a multi-method, multi-reporter, longitudinal study of adolescent development in the context of peer and family relationships. • 93 target adolescents (42% male, 40% minority) and close peers were first interviewed at age 14.3 (Time 1), teens interviewed at age 15(Time 2), teens and romantic partners at age 18(Time 3) and teens interviewed at approximate age 20(Time 4) • Median family income: $40, 000 • Close peers reported having known teens for 4.35 years- Couples had been dating an average of 15 months • Measures • Adolescent Problem Inventory (Freedman et al., 1978). Teens answered probes eliciting their expectations on efficacy in being able to respond in a competent fashion regarding hypothetical situations of peer interpersonal conflict. • Chronic Jealousy Scale (White, 1984).Teens reported on their tendency to experience interpersonal jealousy, and primarily focuses on experience of jealousy in romantic relationships. • Multi-Item Measure of Adult Romantic Attachment (Brennan, Clark, & Shaver, 1998). Teens reported on their own degree of attachment anxiety that they generally experience in romantic relationships. • Relationship Experiences Questionnaire (Levesque, 1990). Romantic partners reported on the degree of teen’s open communication, toleration and patience, and possessiveness in their current romantic relationship. • Self Perception Profile for Adolescents (Harter, 1988).Peers reported on the teen’s degree of self worth, which is a subscale drawn from a larger measure of adolescent self perception. • Background • Establishing an independent identity is crucial to forging new roles and developing mature romantic relationships (Erikson, 1968) • Various facets of one’s identity or “self-concept”: • Self efficacy vs. Self worth: what is the difference? • Self worth: a feeling of self-regard, self-respect, and belief in one’s worth • implicated in internalizing disorders and insecure attachment (Sharpsteen, 1995) and mixed results regarding the relationship between self-worth and romantic relationship satisfaction (Cramer, 2003) • Self efficacy: belief in one’s ability to accomplish a particular goal in a competent fashion • implicated in deviant behavior, psychotherapy success, and social relations (Allen, Aber, & Leadbeater, 1990). • Little research conducted on how interpersonal self efficacy relates to romantic outcomes, particularly over time. CONCLUSIONS • Self worth : an important intrapsychic construct that may heighten one’s risk of being more possessive and jealous in romantic relationships across time. • Self efficacy: may serve as a protective factor for future romantic outcomes. A stronger belief in one’s interpersonal efficacy appears to be actualized-in that these individuals are in fact engaging in healthier relationship patterns, characterized by adaptive communication and acceptance, four years later. • Lastly, our mediating model suggests that threats to self worth may lead an individual to become increasingly reliant on his or her romantic relationship as a means of self validation, which may lead them to exhibit more jealousy and maladaptive behavior if they perceive their relationship is being threatened. RESULTS RESEARCH QUESTIONS • The current study uses hierarchical regression analyses & FIML to address the following questions: • 1. Does a higher general self worth predict more adaptive romantic outcomes 4-6 years later? • 2. Does teen self efficacy similarly predict more • adaptive romantic outcomes in early adulthood? • Does attachment anxiety help to explain the possible relationship between self worth and future romantic outcomes? REFERENCES Allen, J. P., Leadbeater, B. J., & Aber, J. L. (1990). The relationship of adolescents' expectations and values to delinquency, hard drug use, and unprotected sexual intercourse. Development and Psychopathology, 2, 85-98. Brennan, Clark, Shaver (1998). Self-report measurement of adult attachment. In J.A. Simpson & W.S. Rholes (Eds.), Attachment Theory and Close Relationships, (46-76). New York: Guilford Press. Cramer, D.(2003). Acceptance and need for approval as moderators of self-esteem and satisfaction with a romantic relationship or closest friendship. Journal of Interdisciplinary and Applied Psychology, 137(5), 495-505. Erikson, E. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. New York: Norton. Freedman, B. J., Rosenthal, L., Donahoe, C.P., Schlundt, D. G., & McFall, R. M. (1978). A social-behavioral analysis of skill deficits in delinquent and non-delinquent boys. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48, 1448-1462. Harter, S. (1988). Manual for the self-perception profile for adults. Unpublished manuscript. University of Denver, CO. Levesque, R.J.R. (1993). The Romantic Experience of Adolescents in Satisfying Love Relationships. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 22(3), 219-251. Sharpsteen, D. J. (1995). The effects of relationship and self-esteem threats on the likelihood of romantic jealousy. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 12(1), 89. White, G. & Mullen, P. (1989). Jealousy: Theory, Research, and Clinical Strategies. New York: The Guilford Press. Note. *p < .05 ** p < .01. N =93. Final Beta weights are presented above for analyses covarying gender and total income.