Young Adolescents' Shared Leisure Activities With Close Friends and Dating Partners Associations with Supportive Communication and Relationship Satisfaction

Shared leisure activities with close friends and dating partners offer early adolescents a context to develop satisfying relationships. Participants in the current study were 1,696 early adolescents, aged 11-15. Using the Core and Balance Model of Family Leisure Functioning as the conceptual framework, results indicated that supportive communication within close peer relationships matter for young adolescents' satisfaction within these relationships. Core leisure activities with close peers were positively associated with supportive communication and relationship satisfaction, whereas balance leisure activities, specifically sports and games, were negatively associated with relationship satisfaction. Supportive communication mediated associations between leisure activities and relationship satisfaction. Limited moderation by gender and relationship type (close friend versus dating partner) was found.