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Romantic relationships effects academically and psychologically.

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DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.36729.19045

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 ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP

Romantic relationships effects academically and psychologically.

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Table of Contents
Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 4

Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 5

Literature Review................................................................................................................ 6

Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 10

Results ................................................................................................................................11

Discussion ......................................................................................................................... 24

Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 26

Limitations ........................................................................................................................ 27

Delimitations ..................................................................................................................... 28

Recommendation……………………………………………………………...…………29
References……………………………………………………………………….……….30
Appendix……………………………………………………………………….………..32

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Abstract
Romantic relationships have become a common phenomenon among teenagers. Romantic
relationships have many positive and negative effects on students, especially girls, as it affects
them academically and psychologically. Also, a breakup has pros and cons in the teen's life. In an
online survey conducted between 100 AUC students, 77 females and 23 males, their ages ranged
from 16 years old to above. Students reported their marital status, GPA, reasons for break up,
psychological effects, academic effects, and friendship with the other gender. In results, the study
showed that the majority are in a relationship for less than a year; however, they are delighted
with their romantic relationship and consider it as serious one as they love each other and believe
that they affected each other psychologically in a positive way and their romantic relationship
has no effect on their friendship with the other gender. However, it recorded some adverse
psychological effects after the breakup, such as stress and depression. Future researchers should
focus on the impact of friendship on romantic relationships.
Some keywords to help search are Romantic relationships, psychological and academic effects,
and breakup impacts.

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Introduction
A new trend appears between teenagers; nowadays, the trend is the romantic relationship.
Crissey (2006) claims that romantic relationships affect girls' education more than boys. Women
suffer from falling grades and university goals after relationships; on the other hand, men suffer
from negative effects only in girlish subjects. This study will investigate the impact of romantic
relationships on students. In particular, it will focus on the students in a romantic relationship,
how their life has changed before and after from many perspectives such as psychologically,
education, friendship with the other gender, reasons for being in a romantic relationship, and
reasons behind break up. This study was conducted because teenagers nowadays see romantic
relationships as a social norm they have to do to cope with others, neglecting the consequences.
So, it shows its pros and cons to think about this phenomenon logically and decide about being in
a romantic relationship or not based on facts.

Literature Review

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Romantic relationships and breakups have become a common phenomenon among school and
university students. Like anything in the world, romantic relationships are a double-edged
weapon that positively and negatively affects the students' academic performance and
psychological behavior. Those effects must be well-known by the students as they will affect
their future while they are in the relationship and even after the breakup. Literature provides
findings that show that romantic relationships affect students academically (Brendgen, Vitaro,
Doyle, Markiewicz and Bukowski, 2002; Crissey, 2006; Giordano, Phelps, Manning and
Longmore, 2008; Longmore, 2006.). Other papers found that romantic relationships affect
students psychologically (Brendgen, Vitaro, Doyle, Markiewicz and Bukowski, 2002; Chow,
Ruhl and Buhremester, 2015; Jouriles, Garrido, Rosenfield and McDonald, 2009; Leung, Moore,
Karnilowicz and Lung, 2011; Seiffge and Burk, 2012; Soller, 2014; Westcott, 1987). Moreover,
some researchers decided to study the reasons and the impacts of the breakup stage, which
probably are stress and depression (Fitzpatric, 2004; Hendy, Can, Joseph and Scherer, 2013;
Tashiro and Frazier, 2003; Westcott, 1987). This study's purpose is to find out the reasons behind
choosing to be in a romantic relationship and its impacts, and the factors that lead to break up
and its consequences. Presented below are ten sources divided by the results and sample to verify
students' academic and psychological effects.
Teenage romantic relationships were studied by many researchers from different points of view
to find their effects on academic performance. Literature found that it harms girls more than
boys. Brendgen et al. (2002) distributed a study among 159 girls and 153 boys, which found that
romantic relationships negatively affect girls only. However, not all girls were affected
negatively, only the unpopular girls who experienced poor behavior, emotions, and academic
performance. In another study, Crissey (2006) agreed with the previous research that romantic
relationships affect girls negatively as they face declining grades and college goals. Crissey also
found that boys got affected negatively, too but only in feminism courses. Longmore (2006), on
the other hand, found that romantic relationships have positive and negative effects on girls
saying that it is all depending on the situation. To illustrate, if the girl has a boyfriend who has a
high expectation for college and motivates his girl, this will affect her positively, while if the
boyfriend is not concentrating on his academic field, this will make him a distraction for the girl
and also this will make her skip assignments to grab his attention.

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The psychological effects of romantic relationships are studies from many perspectives.
Longmore (2006) surveyed ten girls their age between 15 and 18 years old. Longmore found that
romantic relationships become a social norm that every teen magazine is talking about, making
all the girls want to be in a relationship to cope with the rest, neglecting that it affects them
negatively as it puts them under the pressure of society. Soller (2014) distributed a study among
5,316 students, Brendgen et al. (2002) distributed a survey among 159 girls and 153 boys and
Jouriles et al. (2009) distributed a survey among 125 students for eight weeks. In their research,
they agreed with the previous study in that girls are the victims of the relationships as they suffer
from poor mental health such as stress; however, Brendgen et al. (2002), in their study, added
that these findings do not include popular girls who are well-known by all of their colleagues as
romantic relationships positively affect them. Chow et al. (2015) distributed a study among 110
students in the 12 grade. The research shows that there is a correlation between romantic
relationship involvement and levels of loneliness. It also showed a low level of loneliness
whenever there is a high level of romantic relationship involvement and friendship closeness.
Reasons and impacts of break up have grabbed many researchers' attention, such as Hendy, Can,
Joseph, and Scherer (2013), who distributed a study among 1,106 students which found that
students choose to end their romantic relationships because of three main reasons:
1. Fearing their parents or grandparents who mention that relationships are unacceptable.
2. Fear of the future where they can talk to a person for hours, do activities together, and
hang out together, then suddenly, out of nowhere, they disappear.
3. Social embarrassment as many people do not dare to tell other people about their
romantic relationship because they do not want to be judged by them and fear making their own
decisions.
Westcott (1987), in his study, divided people into two categories the left who got upset,
frustrated, sad, helpless, angry, hurt, and still in love after break up, and the leaver who are
happy, accessible, and relieved after break up. Then he added that unlike most of the studies that
say that women are victims, he figured out that men here are the victims because women are the
leavers here, not men who suffer from negative emotions after break up. Tashiro and Frazier
(2003) distributed a study among 92 undergraduate students about breaking up from another
perspective. Women in this study see break up as a chance to develop themselves. Fitzpatric
(2004) distributed a survey among 118 persons to know whose fault is the breakup. He found

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that people always tend to use the "it is you, not me" technique, as human nature, no one sees
that it is his fault as people always see themselves as victims.
This literature discussed a great deal about teenager romantic relationships from different points
of view. It shows how such a common phenomenon as the romantic relationship can
considerably affect students' future. The 12 primary sources concluded that romantic
relationships negatively affect students academically as they witness a decline in grades and
adverse effects psychologically as the majority suffer from stress and depression. This literature
included the academic and psychological impact of romantic relationships on students; however,
the gap in this study is the missing of accurate answers for some questions as many Egyptians
refuse to admit that they suffered from psychological issues because of romantic relationships or
break up.

Research question: How do romantic relationships affect AUC students academically and
psychologically?

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Methodology
1. Ethical standards of research:
First, in the focus group, I asked the participants to tell me the questions they are
unwilling to answer, so I avoid asking them. Second, the survey was anonymous as I did not ask
for any personal information like name, email, or mobile number.
2. Sample/Participants/Subjects:
In the survey, I used the convenience sample, and it is from the nonprobability samples,
which is non-representative, and it means to ask however you found. I collected 100 responses
from AUC students as I didn't share the survey outside AUC Facebook groups; the respondents'
age started from 16 years old to above.
3. Method:
The survey was online, contained both open-ended and closed forms, contained 28
questions in English.
4. Procedure:
I used Google forms, posted in Rate AUC professors, RHET 1020-F16, women of AUC,
AUC surveys/announcements, and Blackboard, for two weeks; it took the respondents only 3
minutes to answer my survey and finally, the reporting method was textual and non-textual.

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Results

Fig. 1 (People in romantic relationship)

In figure 1, the respondents were asked whether they are in a romantic relationship or have been
in one and the responses came out to show that 93% are or were in a romantic relationship while
6% were not in any romantic relationship before and 1% did not specify.

Fig. 2 (Number of romantic relationships)

In figure 2, the survey was for the people who are or were in a romantic relationship, and it asked
them about the number of romantic relationships they have been in before, the responses showed
that 44% have been in a romantic relationship once, 28% twice, 11% three times, 4% four times,

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3% five times, 2% six times and finally 8% over six romantic relationships.

Fig. 3 (GPA before romantic relationship)

Figure 3 asks about GPA before romantic relationship 67% were above 3, 23% between 2-3, 2%
below 2, and 8% were not comfortable mentioning their GPA.

Fig. 4 (GPA during romantic relationship)

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Figure 4 asks about GPA during the romantic relationship and shows that 72% were above 3,
22% between 2-3, 2% below 2, and 4% didn’t specify their GPA.

Fig. 5 (Marital status)

In figure 5, the last question in the first section asked about the marital status, and the responses
show that 65% are in a romantic relationship, 33% are single, and 2% refused to specify.

Fig. 6 (GPA after romantic relationship)

Figure 6 is the first question in the single section asked about the GPA after the romantic
relationship, and the responses came out to show that 62.9% are above 3, 25.7% are between 2-3,

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2.9% are below 2, and 8.6% did not specify their GPA.

Fig. 7 (Reasons of break up)

Figure 7 is a question asks about the reasons for breakup 22.9% of the respondents chose trust
issues, 5.7% did not support each other, 11.4% found nothing in common between them, 22.9%
one of the partners did not love the other one, 17.1% because one of the ex’s or someone else
and 40% because another reason.

Fig. 8 (Reasons of being in a romantic relationship)

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Figure 8 asks about the reason behind being in a romantic relationship 68.6% said that they loved
each other, 22.9% just for fun, 5.7% forget the ex, and 2.9% for another reason.

Fig. 9 (Possibility of being with of the ex’s again)

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Figure 9 asks if they can be with one of the ex’s again 45.7% said no, 31.4% said maybe, while
22.9% said yes.

Fig. 10 (Reasons of being with the ex or not again)

In figure 10, they were asked why and the answers varied between one is still in love with the
other one, some believe it will not work out, and some do not want to go through the struggle
again.

Fig. 11 (Feelings after break up)

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In figure 11, they were asked about their feelings after a breakup, 48.6% chose depressed and
sad, 11.4% happy, 20% did not care, 28.6% did not want to be in any romantic relationships
again, and 11.4% did not care did not feel comfortable to say their feelings.

Fig. 12 (Effects of romantic relationships academically and psychologically)

In figure 12, the question was asking about the academic and psychological effects, 42.9% said
that it did not affect them in any way, 31.4% affect them academically in a negative way, 5.7%
only said that it affects them academically in a positive way, on the other hand, 37.1% mentioned
that it affected them psychologically in a negative way. Only 14.3% mentioned that it affected

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them psychologically in a positive way.

Fig. 13 (Effects of romantic relationships academically and psychologically)

In figure 13, the question was to understand better they were asked to specify how does it affect
them, the answers varied between declining in grades, gain experience in romantic relationships,
become more happy and psychological issues.

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Fig. 14 (effects of romantic relationships on other gender friendship)

In figure 14, the question asked if their friendship with the other gender during the romantic
relationship has been affected, 45.7% chose yes while 54.3% chose no.

Fig. 15 (friendship with the other gender after break up)

Figure 15 is the last question in the second section was only for the 45.7% who chose yes in the
previous; they were asked if their friendship with the other gender has affected them after a
breakup. 62.9% said no, it did not affect at all, 31.4% said yes, while 5.7% did not specify.

Fig. 16 (Years spent with partner)

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Figure 16 is the first question in the relationship section, 37% said that they have been with their
partner for less than a year, 25% between 1-2 years, 12% between 2-3 years, 11% between 3-4
years while 15% more than four years.

Fig. 17 (Satisfaction about romantic relationship)

In figure 17, they were asked if they are satisfied with their romantic relationship; 59% said yes,
24% said no, 13% said maybe, and 4% did not want to specify.

Fig. 18 (Reasons of being in a romantic relationship)

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Figure 18 is a question about the reason for being in a romantic relationship 86% said that they
love each other, 5% just for fun, 4% to forget their ex, and 5% for another reason.

Fig. 19 (Effects of romantic relationships academically and psychologically)

Figure 19 is when the respondents were asked, their romantic relationship affected them; 34%
chose that it affects them positively in their academics while 13% chose that it negatively affects
them. On the other hand, 52% chose that it affects them psychologically in a positive way and
24% chose that it affects them psychologically in a negative way while 20% chose that it has no
effect on them at all and finally, 6% did not want to express who does it affecting them.

Fig. 20 (Consideration of romantic relationship as a serious one)

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In figure 20, the responses show that 71% consider their romantic relationship as a
serious one, 11% do not consider it a serious one, 14% do not know, and 4% did not want to
specify.

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Discussion
The first section in the survey showed that most survey respondents are between 16-25 as they
are 90%, while 77% are females. It also showed that the majority, 44%, were in a romantic
relationship once, followed by 28% in a romantic relationship twice, followed by the minority in
romantic relationships more than 2 (Figure 2). The following questions are a comparison
between GPA before, during after romantic relationships. The survey showed that romantic
relationships have a slight positive effect on GPA as 72% said that their GPA was above three
during the romantic relationship (Figure 4), 67% said that their GPA before their romantic
relationship was above 3 (Figure 3), and 62.9% said that their GPA after a romantic relationship
is above 3 (Figure 6). This disagrees with Crissey (2006) in her study that romantic relationships
affect girls' education more than boys. Women suffer from falling grades and university goals
after relationships; on the other hand, men suffer from negative effects only in girlish subjects.
The second section in the survey was for single people, it started by asking them about the
reasons for break up, and the responses indicated that most of the people broke up because of
trust issues or because one of the ex's but the majority said that it is because of another reason
which is not mentioned above (Figure 7). This agrees with Seiffage (2012), which showed that
Variable-oriented results showed that affiliative past experiences were connected with less and
extra usefully solved disagreements, while romantic relationship experiences were connected
with more distrust. The survey also showed that the majority were in a relationship because they
loved each other (Figure 8); however, they don't want to get back together again (Figure 9)
because they felt sad and depressed after break up (Figure 11). When the respondents were asked
if these relationships affected them academically or psychologically and 42.9% said that they
believe that romantic relationships didn't affect them academically nor psychologically (Figure
12). The last two questions we ask about romantic relationships' effect on friendship with the
other gender, and the responses were almost close as 54.3% said it does not affect, while 45.7%
said it affects (Figure 14). The people who said it before were asked if this changed after the
breakup and said no (Figure 15). The last section in the survey was for the people who were in a
romantic relationship. This section showed that the majority are in a relationship for less than a
year (Figure 16); however, they are delighted about their romantic relationship (Figure 17) and
consider it as serious one (Figure 20) as they love each other and believe that they affect each

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other psychologically in a positive way (Figure 19). Their romantic relationship does not affect
their friendship with the other gender.
In contrast, according to Brendgen et al. (2002), his study revealed that being in a
romantic relationship was connected to more inadequate emotional and social adjustment. Also,
throughout Crissey's (2006) study, romantic relationships affect girls' education more than boys.
Women suffer from falling grades and university goals after relationships; on the other hand,
men suffer from adverse effects only in girlish subjects.

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Conclusion
The study showed that the majority of students whose GPA is above 3 are in a romantic
relationship. The survey also indicated that the majority love and support each other, consider
their romantic relationship as a serious one, and finally believe that it positively affects them
academically and psychologically. However, the study recorded some adverse psychological
effects as sadness and depression after break up. In contrast, the 12 primary sources showed that
romantic relationships affect students academically and psychologically negatively. According to
Brendgen (2014), romantic relationships were connected to more insufficient emotional and
social adjustment for unpopular colleagues between colleagues from the same gender and vice
versa for the famous students. However, romantic relationships harm educational performance
for females.
On the other hand, Jouriles et al. (2009) found that girls are the victims of the
relationships as girls suffer from poor mental health such as stress. Also, according to Wescott
(1987), his study showed that the study found that women are the ones who used experimental
and suggestive coping types and did not neglect emotions. While men usually stay away from
emotions, feeling alone, frequently feel “on the top of the world” and have less optimistic
feelings, which is the opposite of women who have more optimistic feelings. Typically, in
breakups, women are the sufferers, but men have extra negative emotions and less happy feelings
in this study. Furthermore, the most leavers were women.

Limitations

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One of the limitations of the survey is the number of responses. All RHET 1020 students are
conducting their surveys simultaneously, so not all people take the survey because there are
many. The survey was targeting 100 responses and only received 98 on the last day of data
collection. Another limitation is the silly answers that some people wrote in the survey.

Delimitations

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The survey was targeting people starting from 16 years old, not less.

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Recommendation
First, I would recommend the other researchers in the future to choose a topic they are
interested in so they enjoy writing and investigating it. Second, they should select good
keywords in their research to find as many sources as possible. Third, conduct the survey as early
as possible to make sure that many people will take it.

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References
Brendgen, M., Vitaro, F., Doyle, A., Markiewicz, D., & Bukowski, W. M. (2002). Same-Sex Peer
Relations and Romantic Relationships During Early Adolescence: Interactive Links to
Emotional, Behavioral, and Academic Adjustment. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 48(1), 77-
103.
Chow, C. M., Ruhl, H., & Buhrmester, D. (2015). Romantic relationships and psychological
distress among adolescents: Moderating role of friendship closeness. International
Journal of Social Psychiatry, 61(7), 711-720.
Crissey, S. R. (2006). Gender differences in the academic consequences of adolescent
heterosexual romantic relationships (Doctoral dissertation, The University of Texas at
Austin).
Hendy, H. M., Can, S. H., Joseph, L. J., & Scherer, C. R. (2013). University Students Leaving
Relationships (USLR): Scale Development and Gender Differences in Decisionsto Leave
Romantic Relationships. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development,
46(3), 232-242.
Jouriles, E. N., Garrido, E., Rosenfield, D., & Mcdonald, R. (2009). Experiences of
psychological and physical aggression in adolescent romantic relationships: Links to
psychological distress. Child Abuse & Neglect, 33(7), 451-460.
Soller, B. (2014). Caught in a Bad Romance: Adolescent Romantic Relationships and Mental
Health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 55(1), 56-72.
Stefan, A. T. (2006). The impact of romantic relationships on the academic performance of high
school girls: A qualitative study (Doctoral dissertation, Alliant International University).
Tashiro, T., & Frazier, P. (2003). "I'll never be in a relationship like that again": Personal growth
following romantic relationship breakups. Personal Relationships, 10(1), 113-128.
Westcott, M. L. (1987). The breakup of romantic relationships: A study in the social
psychology of emotions (Doctoral dissertation, University of Maryland).

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Appendix

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