Scholars have recently begun to investigate a "new convergence" in the way intimate relationships affect the mental health of young men and women, according to Wake Forest sociology professor and researcher Robin Simon. Simon, who spoke with College faculty and students on Friday, said that while men between the ages of 18 and 23 tend to find problems in ongoing relationships more stressful, young women are more affected by changes in relationship status.
Simon's research represents one of the first studies dealing with intimate relationships and mental health among young adults, she said. Although studies have examined the effects on mental health development of family background, employment and living arrangements during young adulthood, no research has been done on the significance of "romantic attachments" during this stage of life, according to Simon.
"The lack of research on this issue is ironic because developmental psychologists tell us that establishing and maintaining relationships with romantic partners is a central developmental activity in the lives of young adults," Simon said. "It is mind-boggling to me that scholars have not addressed this issue."
Simon evaluated the hypothesis that non-marital romantic relationships affect the mental health of young adults, examining the differences in the ways such relationships affect men and women.
For young women, "current romantic involvement and recent breakups" are closely associated with mental health, Simon said.
"Our culture continues to emphasize the importance of being in an intimate relationship for females," she said. "Women are more reactive to dimensions of relationships that pertain to relationship status that is, whether or not they are currently in a romantic relationship or experienced a recent break-up."
Being in a romantic relationship or having experienced a recent break-up may have a greater effect on the self-conceptions of young adult women, which may reflect their projected economic and subsequent emotional dependence on men, according to Simon.
Young adult men, on the other hand, are more affected by "partner support and strain," Simon said, adding that these factors tend to affect men's identity and feelings of self-worth more then they do for women.
"Men seem to be more reactive than women to dimensions of an ongoing relationship that is, whether they are receiving support or experiencing strain in the relationship."
Simon based her analysis on a representative epidemiological sample of young adults between the ages of 18 and 23 in Miami, Fla., who were interviewed from 1997 to 2000. Part of the data came from a study originally intended to asses stress exposure and mental health during the transition to adulthood, according to Simon.
Simon said her research indicates that the effects of social stressors, such as non-marital romantic relationships, are highly specific. While both men and women are affected by the stress of a relationships, it is "manifested in different ways and different dimensions of relationships are affected."
Young adults today tend to explore intimacy and romantic relationships prior to marriage far more than in past generations, according to Simon. She said recent "historic changes in the economy, family and gender roles" were responsible.
"I do think we should expect differences in marriages of this cohort [in relation to previous generations] down the road," Simon projected. "I think that relationships are increasingly important for men. With gender roles changing, men are more dependent on women. We could expect that incoming cohorts of men will be more affected by [intimate] relationships than existing cohorts of men."
Scholars focusing on development have found that intimate relationships provide young adults with sources of social identity development, self-conception and social integration, Simon said.
In the future, Simon said she is considering a study of the "hook-up" culture on college campuses. She plans to examine the perspectives of male and female students and the respective results on students' mental health, she said.
