FAMILY-OF-ORIGIN AND INTERPERSONAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE INTER-DEPENDENCE OF DATING PARTNERS TRUST

The purpose of the present investigation was to further the study of f actors that contribute to trust in relation to a dating partner. Speci fically, this study investigated the interdependence of dating partner trust using a nonrecursive path model that included present-day famil y-of-origin experience. The most reliable data available suggest that self-disclosure and trust from the other partner are significant contr ibutors to trust (cf. Butler. 1986; Haas, 1981; Larzelere & Huston, 19 80; Rubin, 1975). However, these do not appear to explain completely t he ability to trust another. Using these findings and theoretical link ages between trust and family-of-origin experiences, a model was speci fied with a reciprocal path between male partner and female partner tr ust. The reciprocal paths were not significant. However, male partner trust was best explained by his emotional reactivity toward his parent s, and female partner trust was best explained by her comfort with sel f-disclosure. These results are discussed in relation to previous rese arch.