The present study focuses on romantic stress and coping styles in the context of identity and future-related stressors in 8,654 adolescents with a mean age of M = 15.3; SD = 1.84. The adolescents from 17 countries were grouped into seven regions, i.e., Mid-Europe, Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, South Africa, South America, and the Middle East. Future-related stressors were perceived as being more stressful than romantic stressors by all adolescents, irrespective of the region in which they lived. Identity-related stressors were of greater concern to adolescents from South Africa, South America, and the Middle East. Romantic stress was much higher in adolescents from Mid-Europe and Southern Europe compared to adolescents from other regions. Roughly 80% of all adolescents employed adaptive coping styles in that they negotiated with the romantic partner, sought support from friends and others, and shared an overall positive outlook. Adolescents from Mid-, Northern, and Eastern Europe were the most active in negotiating and support-seeking when dealing with romantic stressors.
Arnett, J.J. ( 2000). Emerging adulthood-a theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55, 469-480.
2.
Arnett, J.J. ( 2002). The psychology of globalization. American Psychologist, 57, 774-783.
3.
Barker, E.T., & Galambos, N.L. (2005). Adolescents’ implicit theories of maturity: Ages of adulthood, freedom, and fun. Journal of Adolescent Research, 20, 557-576.
4.
Brown, B.B. ( 2006). A few ‘‘course corrections’’ to Collins and Van Dulmen’s ‘‘the course of true love’’ . In A.C. Crouter & A. Booth (Eds.), Romance and sex in adolescence and emerging adulthood: Risks and opportunities (pp. 113-123). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
5.
Brown, B.B., Larson, R.W., & Saraswathi, T.S. (2002). The world’s youth: Adolescence in eight regions of the globe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
6.
Bynner, J. ( 2000). Social change and the sequencing of developmental transitions . In L. Crockett & R.K. Silbereisen (Eds.), Negotiating adolescence in times of social change (pp. 89-103). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
7.
Carver, K., Joyner, K., & Udry, J.R. ( 2003). National estimates of adolescent romantic relationships . In P. Florsheim (Ed.), Adolescent romantic relationships and sexual behaviour: Theory, research, and practical implications (pp. 291-329). New York: Cambridge University Press.
8.
Chiuri, M.C., & Del Boca, D. ( 2007). Living arrangements in Europe: Exploring gender differences and institutional characteristics (Working Paper 200709). Turin: University of Turin Department of Economics .
9.
Collins, W.A. ( 2003). More than myth: The developmental significance of romantic relationships during adolescence. Journal of Research on Adolescence , 13, 1-24.
10.
Collins, W.A., Welsh, D.P., & Furman, W. ( 2009). Adolescent romantic relationships. Annual Review of Psychology, 60, 631-652.
11.
Connolly, J.A., Craig, W., Goldberg, A., & Pepler, D. ( 2004). Mixed-gender groups, dating, and romantic relationships in early adolescence. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 14, 185-207.
12.
Dasen, P. ( 2000). Rapid social change and the turmoil of adolescence: A cross-cultural perspective. International Journal of Group Tensions, 29, 17-49.
13.
Dion, K.K., & Dion, K.L. ( 1993). Individualistic and collectivistic perspectives on gender and the cultural context of love and intimacy. The Journal of Social Issues, 49, 53-69.
14.
Dion, K.K., & Dion, K.L. ( 1996). Cultural perspectives on romantic love. Personal Relationships, 3, 5-17.
15.
Erikson, E.H. ( 1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. New York : Norton.
16.
Eurostat. (2008). Eurostat regional yearbook 2008: EU27 regions under the magnifying glass. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities.
17.
Furman, W., & Shomaker, L.B. (2008). Patterns of interaction in adolescent romantic relationships: Distinct features and links to other close relationships. Journal of Adolescence, 31, 771-788.
18.
Gelhaar, T., Seiffge-Krenke, I., Borge, A., Cicognani, E., Cunha, M., Loncaric, D. et al. (2007). Adolescent coping with everyday stressors: A seven-nation study with youth from central, eastern, southern and northern Europe. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 4, 129-156.
19.
Giannotta, F., Ciairano, S., Spruijt, R., & Spruijt-Metz, D. (2009). Meanings of sexual intercourse for Italian adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 32, 157-169.
20.
Gray, M.R., & Steinberg, L. ( 1999). Adolescent romance and the parent-child relationship: A contextual perspective. In W. Furman, B.B. Brown, & C. Feiring (Eds.), The development of romantic relationships in adolescence (pp. 235-265). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
21.
Harter, S. ( 1999). The construction of the self. New York: Guilford.
22.
Kloep, M. ( 1999). Love is all you need? Focusing on adolescents’ life concerns from an ecological point of view. Journal of Adolescence, 22, 49-63.
23.
Lanz, M., & Tagliabue, S. ( 2007). Do I really need someone in order to become an adult? Romantic relationships during emerging adulthood in Italy. Journal of Adolescent Research, 22, 531-549.
24.
Malmberg, L.-E. ( 2001). Future-orientation in educational and interpersonal contexts . In J.E. Nurmi (Ed.), Navigating through adolescence: European perspectives (pp. 119-140). New York: RoutledgeFalmer.
25.
Marcia, J.A. ( 1993). The ego identity status approach to ego identity. In J.A. Marcia, A.S. Waterman, D.R. Matteson, S.L. Archer, & J.L. Orlofsky (Eds.), Ego identity: A handbook for psychosocial research (pp. 22-41). New York: Springer Verlag.
26.
Meschke, L.L., & Silbereisen, R.K. (1997). The influence of puberty, family processes, and leisure activities on the timing of the first intercourse . Journal of Adolescence, 20, 403-418.
27.
Milbrath, C., Ohlson, B., & Eyre, S.L. ( 2009). Analyzing cultural models in adolescent accounts of romantic relationships. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 19, 313-351.
28.
Nieder, T., & Seiffge-Krenke, I. (2001). Coping with stress in different phases of romantic development. Journal of Adolescence , 24, 297-311.
29.
Nurmi, J.E. ( 2005). Thinking about and acting upon the future: Development of future orientation across the life span. In A. Strathman & J. Joireman (Eds.), Understanding behaviour in the context of time: Theory, research and application (pp. 31-57). New York: Psychology Press.
30.
Rodrigues, L.N., & Kitzmann, K.M. (2007). Coping as a mediator between interparental conflict and adolescents’ romantic attachment. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 24, 423-439.
31.
Rushton, J.P. ( 1999). Ethnic differences in temperament. In Y. Lee, C. McCauley, & J. Draguns (Eds.), Personality and person perception across cultures (pp. 45-63). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
32.
Saraswathi, T.S., & Larson, R. ( 2002). Adolescence in global perspective: An agenda for social policy. In B.B. Brown, R. Larson, & T.S. Saraswathi (Eds.), The world’s youth: Adolescence in eight regions of the globe (pp. 344-362). New York: Cambridge University Press.
33.
Schlegel, A. ( 2001). The global spread of adolescent culture. In L.J. Crockett & R.K. Silbereisen (Eds.), Negotiating adolescence in times of social change (pp. 63-86). New York: Cambridge University Press.
34.
Schulenberg, J.E., Sameroff, A.J., & Cicchetti, D. ( 2004). The transition to adulthood as a critical juncture in the course of psychopathology and mental health. Development and Psychopathology, 16, 799-806.
35.
Seiffge-Krenke, I. ( 1995). Stress, coping, and relationships in adolescence. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
36.
Seiffge-Krenke, I. ( 2003). Testing theories of romantic development from adolescene to young adulthood: Evidence of a developmental sequence. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 27, 519-531.
37.
Seiffge-Krenke, I. ( 2003). Leaving home or still in the nest? Parent- child relationships and psychological health as predictors of different leaving home patterns . Developmental Psychology, 42, 864-876.
38.
Seiffge-Krenke, I., Molinar, R., Ciariano, C., Menna, P., Michel, G., Hoareau, E. et al. (in press). Competence in coping with future-related stress in adolescents from France, Italy, Great Britain, and Germany. Journal of Happiness Studies.
39.
Shulman, S., Tuval-Mashiach, R., Levran, E., & Anbar, S. ( 2006). Conflict resolution patterns and longevity of adolescent romantic couples: A 2-year follow-up study. Journal of Adolescence , 29, 575-588.
