Early adolescents' expectations of monitoring and control in romantic relationships

Background: Monitoring and controlling (M&C) behaviors within romantic relationships are warning signs for potential abuse and violence. Little is known about attitudes toward M&C behavior in early adolescents, and if there are differences among subgroups. In part this may be due to the lack of reliable indicators. Design/Methods: We analyzed baseline survey data from the first 128 participants recruited for a longitudinal study from school-based clinics affiliated with Montefiore Medical Center. Participants were 12-14 year old English-speaking residents of the Bronx, NY. Participants responded to 4 items about M&C behavior in relationships using a 4-point Likert scale. Items were summed; higher scale scores indicated higher expectations for M&C relationship behavior. Results: Participants agreed or strongly agreed that they expected to check their partner's private messages(28%); to give up their same-sex friends(11%); to give up their opposite-sex friends(10%); and would expect a partner to always want to know their whereabouts(51%). Scale scores ranged from 4-13; Mean= 7.23 (SD=2.37). Internal consistency reliability was moderate, Cronbach's alpha of .64. Scale scores did not differ significantly by gender, race or relationship experience. However, 12 yr olds were significantly more likely than 14 yr olds to expect monitoring within a romantic relationship. (mean=8.00; SD=2.57 vs. mean=6.63; SD=2.27) (P<.05). Conclusions: Preliminary Analyses indicate the potential for measuring expectations of M&C behavior among early adolescents with a 4-item scale. This is an important construct to measure because it may indicate a romanticism of unhealthy relationship behavior that should be addressed in interventions with this population.