Journal of critical reviews 2139 Journal of Critical Reviews ISSN- 2394-5125 Vol 7, Issue 14, 2020 ATTITUDE TOWARDS ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS: A CROSS-CULTURAL STUDY AMONG INDIANS AND FILIPINOS Remedios T. Navarro 1 , Ashim Abhilash Kumar Mohanty 2 , Edelyn A. Cadorna 3 , Sushama Pattnaik 4 1 University of Northern Philippines 2 University of Northern Philippines 3 University of Northern Philippines 4 Sambalpur University, Sambalpur, Odisha, India Email:remediostnavarro@gmail.com 1 , mashimabhilash@gmail.com 2 , delwinkri@gmail.com 3 , sushamapattnaik27@gmail.com 4 Received:11.04.2020 Revised: 16.05.2020 Accepted: 10.06.2020 Abstract This study examined the attitude towards romantic relationships and knowledge of HIV of 250 Filipino and 150 Indian students. It also explored how the students’ profile and knowledge of HIV influenced their attitude towards romantic relationships. The comparative research method determined the differences in the attitude towards romantic relationships and knowledge of HIV between the Indian and Filipino students. The correlational method on the other hand, determined the influence of HIV knowledge and profile on their attitude. The study utilized survey questionnaires to gather the needed data. Results show that there is a statistically significant difference between the students of the two counties in their knowledge of HIV. Indian students are more knowledgeable about HIV than the Filipino students. Both the Filipino and Indian students are undecided in their attitude towards romantic relationships. Number of close friends and romantic relationships and knowledge of HIV significantly influence attitude towards romantic relationships of the Filipino students. Personal factors and knowledge of HIV, taken singly and as a whole do not significantly influence attitude of the Indian students towards romantic relationships. Keywords: Romantic Relationships, HIV knowledge, cross-cultural study, Filipinos, Indians © 2020 by Advance Scientific Research. This is an open-access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.31838/jcr.07.14.431 INTRODUCTION Romantic relationships play a vital role in the lives of adolescents. Sharma (n.d.) stated that the development and negotiation of romantic relationships with the emergence and integration of sexual behaviors into it as one matures are considered important and normative developmental tasks. Furman and Shaffer (2003) cited Sullivan who emphasized that romantic relationships play a significant role in shaping the adolescent’s general course of development. Romantic relationships may impact key developmental tasks such as identity formation, family relationship transformations, close relationships with peers, sexuality, and career planning. Blair and Madigan (2016) contended that the initiation and maintenance of intimate, romantic relationships link with improved physical and emotional well-being, stronger perceptions of community attachment, and better developmental outcomes. Romantic relationships also have significant implications for health and adjustment. They influence the emotional and social development of adolescents, their future functioning and their experiences and expectations of intimate relationships in adulthood. Romantic relationships formed in adolescence may affect adult relationships either by supporting/altering the way individuals interact with potential partners or by giving concrete outcomes like marriage, pregnancy, and STDs. Romantic relationships and experiences – whether real, potential or fantasized – account for many of the intense emotions both positive (e.g., excitement, happiness), and negative (e.g. jealousy, anger, distress) that adolescents undergo (Headspace, 2012)Adolescents engage in romantic relationships for varied reasons: physical attraction, sense of intimacy and belongingness, self-esteem and recognition. Conversely, they too stay in a relationship for varied reasons. Romantic relationships can occur in the context of one or different cultures. Attitudes towards them and the way people manifest them could vary from culture to culture. Karandashev (2015) stated that culture has an impact on people’s conceptions of love and the way they feel, think, and behave in romantic relationships. As such, the success of romantic relationships could be affected by cultural differences. Ecological perspectives emphasize the social and cultural contexts that encourage or constrain close relationships and give individuals meaning and significance. Events that occur in other settings and relationships inevitably affect adolescent romantic relationships and vice versa. (Collins, Welsh, and Furman, 2009)The study of Prakas (2016 ) on the attitude of Indians in New Zealand towards love, marriage, and romantic relationships revealed a continued endorsement of permanent and exclusive romantic relationships though greater acceptance of premarital sex and cohabitation was noted. The comparative study of young Indians and Americans by Bejanyan, Marshall, Ferenczi (2014), on the other, found that Indians reported greater collectivism and held stronger romantic beliefs than Americans. Further, the Indians’ endorsement of more traditional gender roles partly predicted their preferences for a marital partner possessing traditional characteristics. Sharma (n.d.) in her study concluded that the nature of sex and romantic relations among the youth slum of Mumbai Metropolitan seem to have changed. Casual sex seems to have changed very fast their concept of true love. Their risky behaviors also increased dangerously. VOL 7, ISSUE 04, 2020 3929