Romantic intent, relationship uncertainty, and relationship maintenance in young adults’ cross-sex friendships

Abstract

Romantic desire and relational uncertainty operate slightly differently in predicting the reported use of Common Maintenance Behaviors (CMBs) and Relationship-Specific Maintenance Behaviors (RSMBs). Cross-sex friendship dyads (n = 197) indicated their desire for a romantic relationship with each other, relationship uncertainty, and self-reported friendship maintenance behaviors. Romantic desire correlated positively with the maintenance behaviors Routine Relationship Activity, Support and Positivity, and Flirtation for both males and females. For both sexes, romantic desire correlated negatively with the friendship maintenance behavior Talk About Outside Romance. Romantic desire correlated positively with three out of five relational uncertainty variables; however, these varied somewhat by sex. All CMBs were negatively associated with at least one dimension of relational uncertainty and, with one exception, relational uncertainty tends to increase the use of RSMBs.