Thao Ha and colleagues from the Behavioural Science Institute of Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands, observed 14-16-year olds in romantic relationships dealing with conflicts over issues such as cheating, experiencing jealousy and parental rules about dating three times over a period of several years.

Statistical analysis of these relationships showed that the likelihood of a couple breaking up was independent of how well or poorly they handled or resolved these disagreements, and teens that were capable of better resolution were not more likely to stay together over time.