A study found that romantic disappointments have more consequences on the mental health of teenage girls than teenagers.
“I discovered that there were severe risks of depression in young girls, suicidal thoughts and even attempted suicide, when the romantic relationship took a different turn than they imagined,” said Brian Soller. , professor of sociology and author of a study on the impact of emotional breakdowns. “Conversely, I found less evidence between disappointment in love and the mental health of young boys,” he added.
The study, titled “Trapped in Romantic Disappointment: Adolescent Romantic Relationships and Their Mental Health,” published by The journal of Health and Social Behavior drew on data from 5,300 students and examined the mental health consequences of disparities between the imagined ideal and the reality of a romantic relationship.
Brian Soller measured this by asking teens to describe a romantic relationship as they imagined it in a first interview and how their first romance went in a second interview. During the two interviews, the researchers questioned the participants about their mental health.
The author of the study realized that romantic relationships were less important in the identity of boys. This could be explained by the fact that boys engage in more extracurricular activities, such as sports or music.
In view of this observation, sociologists advise parents and educators to think about “helping girls to build an identity around activities other than romantic relationships, which could moderate the effects of disappointment in love on their health. mental. ”
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