Paths to Intimate Relationship Quality From Parent-Adolescent Relations and Mental Health

Using a developmental systems perspective and public-use longitudinal data from participants currently in a romantic relationship at Wave 4 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n=2,970), the current study explored direct and indirect paths from parent-adolescent relationship quality to young adult intimate relationship quality. Structural equation modeling tested whether mental health (depressive symptoms and self-esteem) in the transition to adulthood mediated the association between parent-adolescent relations and young adult intimate relations. The results indicated that higher quality parent-adolescent relations predicted higher self-esteem and lower depressive symptoms during the transition to adulthood as well as higher young adult intimate relationship quality, controlling for adolescent mental health and parent-young adult relationship quality. Higher self-esteem during the transition to adulthood was associated with greater intimate relationship quality, whereas greater depressive symptomatology predicted reduced intimate relationship quality. One significant indirect path emerged: parent-adolescent relationship quality self-esteem intimate relationship quality.