Addiction versus intimacy as related to sexual involvement in a relationship.

Forty couples aged 18-25 years who were in love relationships of three months or more were tested concerning the level of addiction or maturity in the relationship. The results of three questionnaires revealed significant positive correlations between the following: self-esteem and maturity, adjustment and maturity, adjustment and relationship satisfaction, relationship satisfaction and maturity, relationship satisfaction and self-esteem, sexual satisfaction and maturity, and sexual satisfaction and relationship satisfaction. In a multiple regression, three variables (adjustment, relationship satisfaction, and intercourse) predicted a significant amount of the variance surrounding the maturity variable. The results supported the hypotheses proposed.