Romantic Relationships

Romantic Relationships Questionnaire is a 41-item instrument based on measures used in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Starfield et al., 1995 (Child Health and Illness Profile-Adolescent Edition). The measure assesses sexual activity and what, if any, sexually transmitted diseases have been contracted.

Abstract: The Romantic Relationships Questionnaire is a 41-item instrument based on measures used in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Fast Track's version was added to the child instrument battery in study Year 7. The measure assesses sexual activity and what, if any, sexually transmitted diseases have been contracted. If respondents report that they are sexually active, further questions about number of partners, frequency, and type of protection used during intercourse are asked. For most items in this instrument, there is no obvious scoring. Most items are naturally dichotomous and one item indicates age. This measure involves a complex skip pattern, of which the analyst should be aware. Only students who reported having held hands with a non-family member were asked whether they had kissed a non-family member on the mouth. Likewise, only if students indicated "yes" on the previous two items were they asked if they had told a non-family member that they liked or loved them. If the students indicated "yes" for the previous three items, they were then asked if these things were done with the same person. Only students who reported that they ever had sexual intercourse were asked the remaining questions on the measure. Of these students, only those who indicated that they had used birth control during their first experience, or their most recent experience of sexual intercourse were asked what type of birth control they had used. These items are measured on a 1 to 13-point scale with each number corresponding to a different type of birth control method. Note that if no method was used, or if only one or two methods were used, students were instructed to enter '99.' Analysts should be aware of this procedure in order to correctly interpret the statistics. Only students who indicated that they had ever used a condom were asked the proportion of time they had used it. This item is measured on a 5-point scale ranging from "none of the time" to "all of the time." Finally, students who had had sexual intercourse were asked questions about a variety of sexually transmitted diseases. Only students who had been told they had a sexually transmitted disease were asked when they first were told. These items are measured on a 3-point scale ranging from "less than 1 year ago" to "more than 2 years ago." Most items are straightforward in use and interpretation. The low number of subjects that reported having had sexual intercourse, used birth control, or been told they had a sexually transmitted disease indicates that this measure should be used with caution.

Who Completed this Measure?: select one

Cohort 1 - Administrative History

  • Year 08 | grade 7 | age 13
  • Year 09 | grade 8 | age 14
  • Year 10 | grade 9 | age 15
  • Year 11 | grade 10 | age 16
  • Year 12 | grade 11 | age 17

Cohort 2 - Administrative History

  • Year 08 | grade 7 | age 13
  • Year 09 | grade 8 | age 14
  • Year 10 | grade 9 | age 15
  • Year 11 | grade 10 | age 16
  • Year 12 | grade 11 | age 17

Cohort 3 - Administrative History

  • Year 08 | grade 7 | age 13
  • Year 09 | grade 8 | age 14
  • Year 10 | grade 9 | age 15
  • Year 11 | grade 10 | age 16
  • Year 12 | grade 11 | age 17

Technical Reports:

Raw Dataset Name: CyAB

Scored Dataset Name: RRQySCc

Keywords:
Affection, Birth Control, Contraception, HIV/AIDS, Physical Attraction, Sexual Intercourse, Sexually Transmitted Disease

Is this Measure Available for Public Use?: No

Obtain Measure:

National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health
Web: http://www.cpc.unc.edu/addhealth
Email: addhealth@unc.edu