Background: Non-marital romantic relationship dissolutions (RRDs) are common among emerging adult students (EAS) and may result in severe distress and suicidality. However, studies on RRDs in youth are limited to mental health sequelae of depression and prolonged grief. Little is known about the association between RRDs and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and how this compares to posttraumatic stress symptoms following a traumatogenic event.Objective: We aimed to determine the association between RRDs and PTSS in an EAS sample; and how this compared to the association between posttraumatic stress symptoms and a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5th edition (DSM-5) traumatic event.Method: University students (N = 2,022; female = 71.1%; 18-25 years) completed a demographic and relationship questionnaire, the Life Events Checklist, the Adverse Childhood Experiences questionnaire, and the Posttraumatic Stress Checklist (PCL). We compared EAS with an RRD (n = 886) or a DSM-5 criterion A traumatic event (n = 592) against a control group (n = 544) exposed to a non-traumatic stressful life event. Utilising ANOVAs and Pearson\'s correlations we determined demographic and clinical variables associated with PTSS. ANCOVA and stepwise hierarchical regression analyses were used to determine between-group differences in PTSS.Results: Total trauma exposure and adverse childhood experiences, sex, monthly income, sexual orientation, and attachment style were significantly associated with PTSS. The RRD group had significantly higher PCL scores compared to the DSM and control groups. The mean PCL scores for both the RRD and DSM groups were above the cut-off score of 33, consistent with a probable posttraumatic stress disorder diagnosis. Significantly more RRD participants (72.9%) scored above the cut-off score of 33 than DSM-5 Trauma Group participants (55.4%).Conclusion: An RRD is a potentially traumatic event and is significantly associated with PTSS, similar to a posttraumatic stress disorder diagnosis.
Students may experience non-marital romantic relationship breakups as very painful, with various negative psychological, physical, and academic consequences. However, their painful experiences are often trivialised as something to ‘just get over’ and not acknowledged as potentially traumatic. Yet, using an attachment theory framework, breakups can be reconceptualised as subjectively traumatic.We explored the differences in posttraumatic stress symptoms of students who experienced a breakup, a traumatic event (as defined in psychiatry), and other non-traumatic life events. Students who experienced a breakup reported significantly highly posttraumatic stress symptoms.Acknowledging students’ pain following a self-defined traumatic breakup can increase help-seeking behaviour and reduce the risk of intergenerational attachment trauma. Our findings warrant further research of breakups as potentially traumatogenic events.

This study employed a fully cross-lagged, longitudinal model to examine reciprocal relations between representations of relationships with parents and romantic partners at ages 20 and 22. Representations were assessed with continuous measures of dismissing/avoidant and preoccupied relationship styles across the attachment and affiliation systems for parents, and across the attachment, affiliation, and caregiving systems for romantic partners. Earlier relationships with both mothers and fathers independently predicted changes in later views of romantic relationships, and earlier romantic relationships predicted changes in later views of relationships with both mothers and fathers. This evidence of a developmental system of interconnected representations across relationships has theoretical implications about the nature of working models, and practical implications alerting parents to the onset of dating as a potentially fertile context for changes in their relationships with children.
Este estudio utilizó un modelo longitudinal de referencias plenamente cruzadas para examinar relaciones recíprocas entre representaciones de relaciones con padres y parejas románticas en las edades de 20 y 22. Se evaluaron las representaciones con medidas continuas de estilos de relaciones tipo desdeñoso-evasivo y tipo preocupado a través de los sistemas de apego y afiliación para padres, y a través de los sistemas de apego, afiliación y cuidado para parejas románticas. Las relaciones anteriores tanto con las madres como con los padres predijeron independientemente cambios en las opiniones ulteriores de relaciones románticas, mientras que las relaciones románticas anteriores predijeron cambios en las opiniones ulteriores tanto de las madres como de los padres. Esta evidencia de un sistema de desarrollo de representaciones interconectadas a través de relaciones tiene implicaciones teóricas acerca de la naturaleza de los modelos de trabajo e implicaciones prácticas que advierten a los padres que el inicio del periodo de salir en citas es potencialmente un contexto fértil para cambios en sus relaciones con los niños.
本研究采用纵向研究模型,和完全的交叉滞后相关的实验设计,考查了20到22岁人群中和父母的关系以及和情侣之间的关系表现的交互影响。对这些关系的评估采用了对疏远/回避和全情投入的关系风格的连续性地测量,主要针对对父母的依赖和亲属关系系统和针对伴侣的依恋,紧密关系和关照系统。光靠早期和母亲及父亲之间的关系可以独立预测后期对伴侣关系的看法上的变化,早期的伴侣关系也能预测在后期看待和母亲及父亲之间的关系的变化。证据表明这个在关系表现方面不断发展的系统带来了一些理论上的启示,主要是对发生作用的工作模式的性质方面。实际的启示还有对家长有一定的警示作用,孩子一开始和情侣约会的时候就蕴含着各种条件能导致家长和孩子之间的关系发生变化。.

Healthy romantic relationships entail understanding the needs of the self and other when interpreting conflict events. Yet how couples make meaning around specific conflicts and their capacity to reflect on their own and their partners\' unmet needs is understudied. Using narratives, we examined destructive (e.g., extreme anger and break-up anxiety) and constructive (e.g., perspective taking) interpretations of past romantic conflicts in 80 emerging adult heterosexual couples and the extent to which such interpretations varied by viewpoint and gender. Couple members were interviewed separately about two conflict episodes in which their partner did not meet their needs (victim viewpoint) and two episodes in which they did not meet their partners\' needs (perpetrator viewpoint). As anticipated, destructive interpretations were more evident in the victim viewpoint and for female couple members. In contrast, within constructive interpretations, the use of insight was greater in the perpetrator than the victim viewpoint. Although perspective taking was expected to be more common in the perpetrator viewpoint and in female narratives, this was not the case, as this type of constructive interpretation was infrequent in narratives about conflict. The findings revealed aspects of meaning making that might be useful to mental health professionals concerned with building skills to improve romantic competence in emerging adult couples.
Las relaciones amorosas saludables implican comprender las necesidades del yo y del otro a la hora de interpretar situaciones de conflicto. Sin embargo, hay pocos estudios sobre la manera en la que las parejas dan sentido a conflictos específicos y su capacidad de reflexionar sobre sus propias necesidades no satisfechas y las de sus parejas. Utilizando relatos, analizamos interpretaciones destructivas (p. ej.: enfado intenso y ansiedad por una separación) y constructivas (p. ej.: adopción de un punto de vista) de conflictos amorosos del pasado en 80 parejas heterosexuales de adultos emergentes y la medida en que dichas interpretaciones variaron según el punto de vista y el género. Se entrevistó por separado a los integrantes de las parejas acerca de dos episodios de conflicto en los cuales su pareja no satisfizo sus necesidades (punto de vista de la víctima) y dos episodios en los cuales ellos no satisficieron las necesidades de sus parejas (punto de vista del perpetrador). Como se anticipó, las interpetaciones destructivas fueron más evidentes en el punto de vista de la víctima y en los integrantes femeninos de la pareja. Por el contrario, dentro de las interpretaciones constructivas, el uso de comprensión fue mayor en el punto de vista del perpetrador que en el de la víctima. Aunque se esperaba que la adopción de perspectivas fuera más común en el punto de vista del perpetrador y en los relatos femeninos, no fue así, ya que este tipo de interpretación constructiva fue infrecuente en los relatos sobre los conflictos. Los resultados revelaron aspectos de la creación de significado que podrían ser útiles para los profesionales de la salud mental interesados en el desarrollo de habilidades orientadas a mejorar la aptitud amorosa en las parejas de adultos emergentes.
健康的恋爱关系包含在解释冲突事件时理解自己的需求和理解他人的需求。但是对于情侣们围绕具体的争端事件如何阐释意义的研究很少,关于他们对自己和对对方的没有实现的需求的反思能力也尚待研究。本文利用叙事研究方法考察了80对青年异性恋情侣对过去爱情关系中的冲突事件所作的破坏性(极端生气和分手的焦虑)和建设性(换位思考)的解释,以及不同视角和不同性别对冲突事件进行解释的差异程度。在本研究中,情侣双方分别接受采访,主要谈及对方没有实现他们的要求(受害者视角)的两次情况,和他们没有满足对方的需要(施害者视角)的两个事件。和假设一致的是破坏性的解释在持受害者视角时更多,在女性叙事者中偏多。与之相反,在建设性的解释中,持施害者视角的见解多于使用受害者的视角。对研究结果的假设还有一种是换位思考在施害者视角和女性的叙述中会更明显多见,但事实并非如此,因为这种建设性的解释在对冲突事件的叙述中并未频繁可见。此研究结果揭示了对心理健康从业者而言非常有用的如何提高青年情侣恋爱技能的有关意义构建方面的知识。.