Dedication and Sliding in Emerging Adult Cyclical and Non-Cyclical Romantic Relationships

This study investigates the association between dedication commitment and sliding (moving through relationship transitions without considering the consequences) over 14 weeks for emerging adults in cyclical (partners who have broken up and renewed) and non-cyclical relationships. An autoregressive cross-lagged panel and bivariate latent growth curve analysis were conducted using three waves of data from 220 emerging adults in exclusive dating relationships. Results indicated that dedication and sliding may be relatively stable constructs with a negative bidirectional association although their rates of change may not be related. Further, number of cycles experienced in the current relationship was negatively related to dedication, positively related to sliding, and negatively related to the rate of change in dedication, such that the rate of change in dedication over the course of the semester became increasingly negative the more relationship cycles a participant had experienced. The implications for relationship education are outlined.