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Frederick Edward T. Fabella, Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol.2, Issue.4, April 2022, pg. 50-57
(An Open Accessible, Multidisciplinary, Fully Refereed and Peer Reviewed Journal)
ISSN: 0976-7797
Impact Factor: 4.843

Gender, Birth Order, Parental Separation

and Duration of Romantic Union as Factors
in Relationship Trust: A Comparative Study
Frederick Edward T. Fabella, Ph. D.
FEU Roosevelt, Cainta, Rizal, Philippines
DOI: 10.47760/cognizance.2022.v02i04.005

Abstract: This study sought to determine whether gender, birth order, parental separation and
duration of current romantic union were factors that influenced relationship trust. 95 single
adult respondents whose biological parents were alive and are currently in heterosexual
romantic relationships volunteered to participate in this study. Trust Scale of Rempel and
Holmes was used to measure the respondents’ relationship trust. The findings of this study
indicated that differences in gender, birth order, parental separation and duration of current
romantic union yielded no statistically significant differences in the respondents’ relationship
trust scores.

Introduction
Establishing trust between you and your partner is essential to a fruitful and healthy romantic
relationship.[1] People who have low trust in their partner tend to become uncertain about
whether their partner will behave in accordance with their interests. [2] Lack of trust may create
many problems and may affect your mental health. It can lead to lack of intimacy, negativity,
insecurity, depression and anxiety, trouble concentrating, distress, fear and loneliness. [3]

Rempel, Holmes and Zanna [4] tested in close relationships a theoretical model of interpersonal
trust using three dimensions, namely, predictability, dependability and faith. All three forms of
trust were found to be distinct and coherent dimensions, which were strongly related to one
another.

The three dimensions of trust are explained in better detail this way. Predictability focuses on
constancy and stability of a partner’s definite behaviors, based on past experiences.
Dependability constitutes the characteristic qualities of the partner, which elicit confidence in
the presence of risk and the possibility of being hurt. Faith refers to feelings of assurance in the
relationship and the receptiveness and care anticipated from the partner even with the future’s
uncertainty. [5]

©2022, Cognizance Journal, cognizancejournal.com, All Rights Reserved 50

 cognizancejournal.com
Frederick Edward T. Fabella, Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol.2, Issue.4, April 2022, pg. 50-57
(An Open Accessible, Multidisciplinary, Fully Refereed and Peer Reviewed Journal)
ISSN: 0976-7797
Impact Factor: 4.843

Interdependence theoretical approaches hypothesize trust as a unique construct that is created

within new relationships.[6] It therefore follows that specific profile characteristics of the
individual partners in a relationship could affect the level of relationship trust of each of them.

In one study, it was found that men would tend to trust individuals based on whether or not
they shared group memberships, while women would trust those who shared direct or indirect
relationship connections.[7] Another research established that those with divorced parents were
less optimistic about their future marriages. [8] Still in another study, male and female
respondents would attribute their trust and communication to their mothers. [9] And in a
research based on birth order, later-born individuals trust on average 5% lower than their older
siblings.[10]

Because of these findings, this study aimed to verify whether the aforementioned factors do
affect the level of trust of the respondents in their present romantic relationships. This study
aimed to investigate the influence of gender, birth order, biological parental status (whether
together or separated) and duration of current romantic relationship on the level of
relationship trust as perceived by Filipino adults in heterosexual relationships.

Specifically, this study aimed to answer the following research questions:

1. What is the profile of the respondents with respect to gender, birth order, biological
parental status and duration of current romantic relationship?
2. What are the relationship trust scores of the respondents when grouped according
to gender, birth order, biological parental status and duration of current romantic
relationship?
3. Is there a significant difference in the relationship trust scores of the respondents
when grouped according to gender, birth order, biological parental status and
duration of romantic bond?

Methodology
The Trust Scale of Rempel and Holmes was utilized as the instrument for this study [11]. A
Google Forms version of the test was created. Adults who were currently in a heterosexual
romantic relationship and whose biological parents were both living were invited to volunteer
as respondents of this study. A total of 95 adults participated. The respondents were residents
of Antipolo City, Caloocan City, Marikina City, Pasig City, Quezon City and San Mateo and
Rodriguez Municipalities of Rizal Province in the Philippines. The mean age of the respondents
was 21.76 years old. Their responses were anonymously obtained.

©2022, Cognizance Journal, cognizancejournal.com, All Rights Reserved 51

 cognizancejournal.com
Frederick Edward T. Fabella, Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol.2, Issue.4, April 2022, pg. 50-57
(An Open Accessible, Multidisciplinary, Fully Refereed and Peer Reviewed Journal)
ISSN: 0976-7797
Impact Factor: 4.843

Results
The following tables show the statistical representation of the answers to the research
questions presented.

Table 1: Distribution of Respondents according to Gender

Gender Frequency
Male 26
Female 69
Total 95

Table 2: Distribution of Respondents according to Birth Order

Eldest Middle Only Youngest Total

26 53 5 11 95

Table 3: Distribution of Respondents according to Biological Parental Status

Biological Parental Status Frequency

Together 66
Separated 29
Total 95

Table 4: Distribution of Respondents according to Duration of Current Romantic Relationship

Less than 12 12 months 2 years to 3 years to 4 or more Total

months to less than less than 3 less than 4 years
2 years years years
27 17 14 19 18 95

©2022, Cognizance Journal, cognizancejournal.com, All Rights Reserved 52

 cognizancejournal.com
Frederick Edward T. Fabella, Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol.2, Issue.4, April 2022, pg. 50-57
(An Open Accessible, Multidisciplinary, Fully Refereed and Peer Reviewed Journal)
ISSN: 0976-7797
Impact Factor: 4.843

Table 5: Difference in Relationship Trust Scores according to Gender

Males Females
Welch’s t-test
Mean 84.961538500 86.05797100
S.D. 11.642958000 14.88868900
S.E.M. 2.283371925 1.79238753
N 26 69
t = 0.3777
df = 57
standard error of difference = 2.903

The two-tailed P value equals 0.7070

By conventional criteria, this difference is considered to be
not statistically significant.

Table 6: Difference in Relationship Trust Scores according to Birth Order

Analysis of Variance

Treatments

1 2 3 4 Total

N 26 53 5 11 95

∑X 2174 4537 413 1023 8147

Mean 83.6154 85.6038 82.6 93 85.758

∑X2 186736 397873 34695 97851 717155

Std. Dev. 14.08 13.5083 12.054 16.4682 14.0233

©2022, Cognizance Journal, cognizancejournal.com, All Rights Reserved 53

 cognizancejournal.com
Frederick Edward T. Fabella, Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol.2, Issue.4, April 2022, pg. 50-57
(An Open Accessible, Multidisciplinary, Fully Refereed and Peer Reviewed Journal)
ISSN: 0976-7797
Impact Factor: 4.843

Result Details

Source SS df MS

Between-treatments 747.3985 3 249.1328 F = 1.27811

Within-treatments 17738.0331 91 194.9234

Total 18485.4316 94

The f-ratio value is 1.27811. The p-value is .286666.

The result is not significant at p < .05.

Table 7: Difference in Relationship Trust Scores according to Biological Parent Status

Together Separated
Welch’s t-test
Mean 86.636363600 83.758620700
S.D. 13.841156100 14.473264000
S.E.M. 1.703728541 2.687617653
N 66 29
t = 0.9043
df = 51
standard error of difference = 3.182

The two-tailed P value equals 0.3701

By conventional criteria, this difference is considered to be
not statistically significant.

©2022, Cognizance Journal, cognizancejournal.com, All Rights Reserved 54

 cognizancejournal.com
Frederick Edward T. Fabella, Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol.2, Issue.4, April 2022, pg. 50-57
(An Open Accessible, Multidisciplinary, Fully Refereed and Peer Reviewed Journal)
ISSN: 0976-7797
Impact Factor: 4.843

Table 8: Difference in Relationship Trust Scores according to

Duration of Current Romantic Relationship

Analysis of Variance

Treatments

1 2 3 4 5 Total

N 27 17 14 19 18 95

∑X 2412 1394 1162 1666 1513 8147

Mean 89.3333 82 83 87.6842 84.0556 85.758

∑X2 221952 115480 99162 149310 131251 717155

Std. Dev. 15.787 8.5586 14.4542 13.3918 15.4823 14.0233

Result Details

Source SS df MS

Between-treatments 814.3819 4 203.5955 F = 1.03693

Within-treatments 17671.0497 90 196.345

Total 18485.4316 94

The f-ratio value is 1.03693. The p-value is .392693. The result is not significant at p < .05.

©2022, Cognizance Journal, cognizancejournal.com, All Rights Reserved 55

 cognizancejournal.com
Frederick Edward T. Fabella, Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol.2, Issue.4, April 2022, pg. 50-57
(An Open Accessible, Multidisciplinary, Fully Refereed and Peer Reviewed Journal)
ISSN: 0976-7797
Impact Factor: 4.843

Discussion
Looking at Table 1, 26 of the respondents were male while 69 were female. In Table 2, the birth
order of the respondents are shown. 26 of the respondents were eldest, 53 were middle, 11
were youngest and 5 were only children. It can be seen in Table 3 that 66 of the respondents
had biological parents who were together while 29 had biological parents that were separated.
In terms of duration of their current romantic relationships, of the 95 respondents 27 were in
less than 12 months, 17 were in 12 months to less than 2 years, 14 were in 2 years to less than
3 years, 19 were in 3 years to less than 4 years and 18 were in 4 or more years.

The difference in relationship trust scores between males and females was tested using Welch’s
t-test. The results indicated that there is no significant difference in relationship trust with
respect to gender. When it came to birth order as a factor, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was
used to test for difference. The ANOVA results show that there is also no significant difference
in relationship trust scores with respect to birth order. In testing for difference in relationship
trust scores with respect to the status of biological parents, the Welch’s t-test was again
utilized. No significant difference in relationship trust with respect to the status of biological
parents was found. ANOVA was once more used in testing for difference in relationship test
scores when grouped according to duration of current romantic relationship.

It can therefore be inferred that with respect to the respondents of this study, gender, birth
order, status of biological parents (whether together or separated) and duration of current
romantic relationship have no significant influence on their relationship trust scores.

Since these four factors have been found not to be significant factors in relationship trust,
perhaps there are other influences that should be considered. In one study, it was found that
measures of relational trust were significantly more strongly associated to relationship quality
and commitment.[12] Another research asserted that the lack of trust in romantic relationships
may proceed from numerous areas that are directly or indirectly associated with the current
relationship, which may include the partner’s extradyadic behaviors, experience of betrayal in
past romantic unions as well as the individual’s low self-esteem.[13]

Overall, most of the findings of this study do not support the results of the earlier studies that
were herein mentioned.

©2022, Cognizance Journal, cognizancejournal.com, All Rights Reserved 56

 cognizancejournal.com
Frederick Edward T. Fabella, Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, Vol.2, Issue.4, April 2022, pg. 50-57
(An Open Accessible, Multidisciplinary, Fully Refereed and Peer Reviewed Journal)
ISSN: 0976-7797
Impact Factor: 4.843

References
[1]. Courtney, N. J. (2021, April 2). Trust in a relationship: Why it's important-and how to build it. The Healthy. Retrieved
April 29, 2022, from https://www.thehealthy.com/family/relationships/trust-in-a-relationship/
[2]. Luchies, L. B., Wieselquist, J., Rusbult, C. E., Kumashiro, M., Eastwick, P. W., Coolsen, M. K., & Finkel, E. J. (2013).
Trust and biased memory of transgressions in romantic relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,
104(4), 673–694. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031054
[3]. Gupta, S. (2021, December 27). How to build trust in a relationship. Verywell Mind. Retrieved April 29, 2022, from
https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-build-trust-in-a-relationship-5207611
[4]. Rempel, John K., Holmes, John G., Zanna, Mark P. Trust in close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social
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[5]. Trust in close relationships. (n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2022, from https://www.psytoolkit.org/survey-
library/trust.html#refs
[6]. Campbell, L., & Stanton, S. C. E. (2019). Adult attachment and trust in romantic relationships. Current Opinion in
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[7]. Maddux, W. W., & Brewer, M. B. (2005). Gender differences in the relational and collective bases for Trust. Group
Processes & Intergroup Relations, 8(2), 159–171. https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430205051065
[8]. Franklin, K. M., Janoff-Bulman, R., & Roberts, J. E. (1990). Long-term impact of parental divorce on optimism and
trust: Changes in general assumptions or narrow beliefs? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59(4), 743–
755. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.59.4.743
[9]. Ishak, N. M., Yunus, M. M., & Iskandar, I. P. (2010). Trust, communication and healthy parental attachment among
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.12.360
[10]. Conzo, P., & Zotti, R. (2020). Blessed are the first: The long-term effect of birth order on trust. Economics & Human
Biology, 39, 100905. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ehb.2020.100905
[11]. Rempel, J.K. & Holmes, J.G. (1986). How do I trust thee? Psychology Today, February 1986, 28–34.
[12]. Couch, L. L., & Jones, W. H. (1997). Measuring levels of trust. Journal of Research in Personality, 31(3), 319–336.
https://doi.org/10.1006/jrpe.1997.2186
[13]. Norona, J.C., Welsh, D.P., Olmstead, S.B. et al. The Symbolic Nature of Trust in Heterosexual Adolescent Romantic
Relationships. Arch Sex Behav 46, 1673–1684 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-017-0971-z

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