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A new study finds that nearly half of older
teenagers and young adults break up and get back
together with previous dating partners and over half
of this group have sex as part of the reconciliation
process. This study was recently published in the
Journal of Adolescent Research, a SAGE journal.
Researchers Sarah Halpern-Meekin, Wendy Manning,
Peggy Giordano and Monica Longmore studied data on
792 daters and cohabiters ages 17 to 24, also known
as “emerging adults.” The researchers studied two
relationship patterns specifically – reconciliation
with an ex, or breaking up and getting back together,
and “sex with an ex,” when couples break up, yet
remain sexually involved.
Study authors found that approximately 44% of
emerging adults who had been in a romantic
relationship in the past two years had experienced
at least one reconciliation with an ex romantic
partner and 53% of those who reported
reconciliations also reported having sex with their
ex. Additionally, racial minorities in particular
were even more likely to experience reconciliation
or sexual relationships with previous romantic
partners.
The study authors discussed the implications of
reconciliations with previous romantic partners:
“Emerging adults who reconcile may be prone to a
behavior pattern that involves cycling through
relationship formation… Furthermore, having sex with
an ex may be problematic because former partners can
have difficulty moving on from an old relationship
or building new romantic attachments.”
For more information
http://jar.sagepub.com/
(MDN)
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