Romantic Dyads, Friendships, and the Social Skill Ratings of Preschool Children

The incidence of romantic, same-sex friendships and CMSS-sex friendship dyads was examined in preschools and daycare centers. The objectives were to demonstrate the existence of preschool romances, to describe behavior patterns that characterize these relationships, and to compare the social skills of the three dyad groups using the Social Skills Rating Scale (Gresham & Elliott, 1990). No significant difference in social skills existed between the groups. The results suggest that preschool romances and cross-sex friendships are common occurrences and do not interfere with normal development of social skills.