Rates of infidelity in «monogamous»
relationships are also alarmingly high, hovering between 20 - 55 %, depending on what time frame you ask people about (e.g., having ever cheated versus cheated in the last 5 years).3 Sadly, when cheaters cheat, they typically do not take
protective measures to reduce sexually transmitted infections 100 % of the time.1 Then, when they have sex with their primary partner, they rarely use barrier protection (e.g., condoms); this puts all partners at risk for diseases such
as syphilis and HIV.
We offer three recommendations for future research in this area: 1)
measures of the severity of child maltreatment should be used where possible; 2) positive childhood
relationships should be assessed
as a potentially important
protective factor; 3) more research should involve system - involved children and adolescents.