Perceived level of intimacy within a relationship predicts relational uncertainty

Relational Uncertainty refers to people's lack of confidence in their perceptions of relationship involvement. A new study in the journal Personal Relationships evaluated associations between intimacy and relational uncertainty and found that fluctuations in perceptions of relationships are meaningful aspects of non-marital romantic relationships.

Denise Haunani Solomon of Pennsylvania State University and Jennifer A. Theiss of Rutgers University administered a web-based survey to 315 unmarried college students about their relationship weekly for six weeks.

Researchers found that the level of intimacy people perceived within a relationship in any given week significantly predicted perceptions of relational uncertainty and interference from a partner. The data revealed the highest levels of relational uncertainty when intimacy was low.

Source: Wiley