The Association Between Parent-Child and Peer Relationship Quality in Adolescence and Intimate Partner Relationship Quality in Young Adulthood: A Two-Cohort Longitudinal Investigation

Adolescent experiences in close relationships play a seminal role in social-emotional development across the lifespan. Here, we examine the unique and combined effects of parent-child and peer relationship quality in adolescence (age 11-13 years) in shaping intimate partner relationship quality in young adulthood (age 19-28 years). Prospective data were from the Australian Temperament Project (n = 1117) and the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (n = 1512). Higher parent-child and peer relationship quality were associated with higher intimate partner relationship quality (βrange = 0.07-0.12), an effect that was strongest when both parent-child and peer relationships were of high quality (βrange = 0.13-0.19). No sex differences emerged. Results were consistent across both the ATP and TRAILS cohorts. Promoting healthy parent-child and peer relationships in early adolescence may help strengthen intimate partner relationships in young adulthood.