Relationship Churning in Young Adulthood: On/Off Relationships and Sex with an Ex

Sarah Halpern-Meekin, Franklin & Marshall College
Peggy C. Giordano, Bowling Green State University

We build on ideas from the marital reconciliation literature to examine relationship disruptions and experiences of sex with an ‘ex’ among young adult daters and cohabitors. Analyzing recently collected data on young adults (n = 792) we find that nearly half report a relationship reconciliation (breakup followed by reunion) and over half of those who report breaking up continue a sexual relationship (sex with an ex). Among our sample of young adults, cohabitors experience greater relationship churning than daters. We describe individual demographic, social psychological, and relationship factors associated with reconciliations and sex with an ex. These findings showcase that young adult relationships are characterized by considerable volatility and add to our theoretical and empirical understanding of stability in premarital relationships.