Romantic relationships and the physical and mental health of college students

This study tested the hypothesis that, analogous to married individuals, college students in committed romantic relationships experience greater well-being than single college students. In a sample of 1,621 college students, individuals in committed relationships experienced fewer mental health problems and were less likely to be overweight/obese. There were no significant differences between groups in frequency of physical health problems. Examination of 2 models suggested that being in a committed romantic relationship decreases problematic outcomes largely through a reduction in sexual partners, which in turn decreases both risky behaviors and problematic outcomes. These results are discussed in the context of how premarital dating relationships may contribute to understanding of the observed association between marriage and well-being. National survey data indicate that young adults (ages 18–29) have nontraditional attitudes about the importance of marriage as a social institution and about the need for marriage among those in childbearing or committed relationships (Gallup, 2006). In contrast to their attitudes, however, young adults tend to follow a fairly traditional path toward marriage. Seventy-six percent of 18to 29-yearolds from a randomly selected national sample were currently married previously married, or never married but planning to marry in the future; only 13% of all respondents were in cohabiting unions (Gallup, 2006). Attitudes and behaviors related to marriage are important because they predict future marriage behaviors (e.g., Axinn & Thornton, 1993; Bayer, 1969) and research has repeatedly shown that marriage is associated with a number of positive outcomes. Scott R. Braithwaite, Raquel Delevi, and Frank D. Fincham, Department of Psychology, Florida State University. Correspondence should be addressed to Scott R. Braithwaite, Florida State University, Department of Psychology, 1107 W. Call Street, Tallahassee, FL 323064301, e-mail: [email protected]. Being married is linked to better physical health outcomes including lower morbidity and mortality (Lillard & Waite, 1995). Married couples are less likely to suffer from longterm medical conditions (e.g., cancer, spinal cord injury) and they have faster recovery rates and better chances at surviving when they do (Coombs, 1991; Goodwin, Hunt, Key, & Samet, 1987; Putzke, Elliot, & Richards, 2001). Similarly, mortality rates are lower for married individuals in causes of death that have a behavioral component such as lung cancer, cirrhosis of the liver, suicide, and accidents (Gove, 1973; Litwak et al., 1989; Smith, Mercy, & Conn, 1988; Sudhir Kumar, Mohan, Ranjith, & Chandrasekaran, 2006). With regard to cardiac health, research has demonstrated that body mass index (BMI) and changes in BMI over time are associated for married partners (Jeffery & Rick, 2002) and that married individuals, especially those in happy marriages, have better mortality rates for coronary diseases (Coyne et al., 2001; for review, see Hemingway & Marmot, 1999). Marital status has also been consistently associated with better mental health. Compared with their married counterparts, single