• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.660-671
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• 2017

Drawing from the Korean Child and Youth Panel Survey (KCYPS), this study examined the changes in romantic relationship engagement among Korean adolescents across the country over a three-year period and the effects of the individual, familial, and school characteristics on the experience. Panel logit analysis showed that Korean adolescents were more likely to be engaged in a romantic relationship as they became older. Male adolescents were more likely than their female counterparts to have a romantic partner. The higher scores of self-esteem increased the likelihood of adolescents to be in a romantic relationship. On the other hand, having an opposite-sex sibling, the level of parental warmth, and annual household income did not have a significant relationship with the chance of romantic relationship engagement. On the contrary, all school-related variables were statistically related to the odds of being in a romantic relationship. Going to a sex-mixed school increased the odds, whereas academic adjustment and conformity to school rules decreased the likelihood. In addition, the positive relationships with schoolmates and teachers were associated with a higher chance of having a romantic partner. Based on these findings, the implications, limitations, and future research directions were also suggested.