{"id":624680,"date":"2024-06-18T21:36:30","date_gmt":"2024-06-18T18:36:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/romantic-breakups-can-spark-severe-trauma-in-young-people-says-researcher\/"},"modified":"2024-06-18T21:36:30","modified_gmt":"2024-06-18T18:36:30","slug":"romantic-breakups-can-spark-severe-trauma-in-young-people-says-researcher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/romantic-breakups-can-spark-severe-trauma-in-young-people-says-researcher\/","title":{"rendered":"#Romantic breakups can spark severe trauma in young people, says researcher"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3f586f46425\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3f586f46425\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/romantic-breakups-can-spark-severe-trauma-in-young-people-says-researcher\/#When_the_romantic_attachment_figure_is_no_longer_there\" >When the romantic attachment figure is no longer there<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/romantic-breakups-can-spark-severe-trauma-in-young-people-says-researcher\/#Asking_the_questions\" >Asking the questions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/romantic-breakups-can-spark-severe-trauma-in-young-people-says-researcher\/#Looking_at_the_brain\" >Looking at the brain<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/romantic-breakups-can-spark-severe-trauma-in-young-people-says-researcher\/#Sex_religion_and_other_factors\" >Sex, religion, and other factors<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/romantic-breakups-can-spark-severe-trauma-in-young-people-says-researcher\/#Moving_forward\" >Moving forward<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2020\/breakup.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2020\/breakup.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Credit: CC0 Public Domain\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2020\/breakup.jpg\" alt=\"breakup\" title=\"Credit: CC0 Public Domain\" width=\"800\" height=\"483\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                Credit: CC0 Public Domain<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>What should I study? What do I want to be? How will I pay for my education? Who do I want to spend the rest of my life with? These are the life-changing decisions many young people face.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1111\/j.1750-8606.2007.00016.x\">Emerging adulthood<\/a> (between the ages of 18 and 25 years) is a critical stage in the life course, especially for identity development. Emerging adults are neither dependent adolescents nor independent adults. It is a time of exploration and frequent change.<\/p>\n<p>And all this is h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ening while their brains are still developing, especially in areas associated with <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/journals\/endocrinology\/articles\/10.3389\/fendo.2019.00918\/full\">higher cognitive and emotional functioning<\/a>. This functioning helps an individual plan, monitor and successfully execute their goals.<\/p>\n<p>Amid all these important life choices, romantic relationship breakups can be devastating. After a breakup, people may experience poorer <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.childyouth.2018.11.036\">academic performance<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/smi.3123\">intrusive thoughts<\/a> of the ex-partner and intense <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s11406-017-9935-8\">grief<\/a>, and can even attempt <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jad.2015.11.003\">suicide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, breakups among emerging adults are often <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/journals\/journal-of-relationships-research\/article\/abs\/it-hurts-to-let-you-go-characteristics-of-romantic-relationships-breakups-and-the-aftermath-among-emerging-adults\/5DE3C63E5EDF624999666A9071E551A2\">dismissed or trivialized as a rite of passage<\/a>. A trauma response is shrugged off as exaggerated or <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0887618516301724?via%3Dihub\">overblown<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Added to this, the psychiatric literature does not see breakups as potentially traumatic events.<\/p>\n<p>As a mental health researcher with experience in romantic attachment and trauma research, I co-authored a paper <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/15332691.2021.1908197\">exploring<\/a> romantic relationship breakups as potentially traumatic events among university students. The research aimed to investigate whether their experiences fitted the official psychiatric diagnosis of post-traumatic stress.<\/p>\n<p>Identifying potential trauma following a breakup could help young adults get appropriate treatment and support.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                        <!-- Google middle Adsense block --><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_the_romantic_attachment_figure_is_no_longer_there\"><\/span>When the romantic attachment figure is no longer there<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In several studies we tested the idea that breakups can be deemed a potentially traumatic event based on the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK207191\/box\/part1_ch3.box16\/\">Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5th Edition (DSM-5)<\/a> definition. Mental health care providers use the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual as a guide to diagnose patients with&#8211;for example&#8211;post-traumatic stress disorder.<\/p>\n<p>A diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder is based on various criteria, including Criterion A: exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence. Criterion A acts as the &#8220;<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.janxdis.2015.05.009\">gatekeeper<\/a>&#8221; to this diagnosis.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Asking_the_questions\"><\/span>Asking the questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Based on their self-reported responses on the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ptsd.va.gov\/professional\/assessment\/adult-sr\/ptsd-checklist.asp\">Post-traumatic Stress Checklist for DSM-5<\/a>, our participants fell into three groups:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Group one (breakup group): 886 participants who endorsed post-traumatic stress symptoms based on their most traumatic breakup.<\/li>\n<li>Group two (trauma group): 592 participants who endorsed post-traumatic stress symptoms based on a DSM-5-defined traumatic event (for example physical and sexual assault).<\/li>\n<li>Group three (control group): 544 participants who endorsed post-traumatic stress symptoms based on their most stressful experience (for example relocating homes or a parental divorce).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We found that breakup participants, those in Group One, reported <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC10395251\/\">significantly more post-traumatic stress symptoms<\/a>, such as flashbacks, recurring memories, and nightmares about their former partner, than both the other two groups.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Looking_at_the_brain\"><\/span>Looking at the brain<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>After the questionnaire, a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0165032724006645\">subset<\/a> of students from each of the three groups completed brain scans so we could see which brain areas were activated in response to specific stimuli.<\/p>\n<p>During the scans, they rated images as positive, negative, or neutral.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>36 participants from Group One (breakup group), rated photos of their ex-partners<\/li>\n<li>15 participants from Group Two (trauma group), who specifically indicated physical or sexual assault as their most traumatic event, rated photos of physical or sexual assault<\/li>\n<li>28 participants from Group Three (control group) rated <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> negative images (such as children playing in polluted water). These photographs were part of the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/referenceworkentry\/10.1007\/978-3-319-28099-8_42-1\">International Affective Picture system<\/a>, widely used in studies of human emotion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We analyzed the brain activation (increased blood flow) of the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC2882379\/\">amygdala<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC2891848\/#:~:text=Several%20studies%20have%20demonstrated%20that,al.%2C%202002%3B%20Rudy%20et\">hippocampus<\/a> within the temporal lobe. These regions of the brain are associated with post-traumatic stress disorder and form part of the fear-based <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK541120\/\">limbic system<\/a> that is part of our &#8220;fight or flight&#8221; system. They have also been linked to real and imagined <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/33392890\/\">romantic attachment rejection<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>We found <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0165032724006645\">similar activation levels<\/a> in the amygdala and hippocampus when breakup group participants rated images of their ex-partners to when trauma group participants rated images of physical and sexual assault.<\/p>\n<p>                                                                                                        <!-- Google middle Adsense block --><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Sex_religion_and_other_factors\"><\/span>Sex, religion, and other factors<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Thirdly, we focused on the breakup participants only. We found that their emotional response to the breakup was influenced by:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/14330237.2023.2190232\">demographic characteristics<\/a> such as sex, sexual orientation and religion. Specifically, participants with a minority sexual orientation and who reported not being religious reported higher levels of breakup distress.\n<\/li>\n<li>characteristics of the breakup such as the perceived closeness of the relationship and reasons for the breakup.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Moving_forward\"><\/span>Moving forward<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The combined results support our hypothesis that romantic breakups can be potentially traumatic events for emerging adults and may be experienced as life-threatening.<\/p>\n<p>Validating experiences of breakups as potentially traumatic may cushion their negative impacts, encourage emerging adults to seek help, and promote mental health.<\/p>\n<p>Mental health care providers and student counseling services should recognize the possible intensity of breakups and consider screening for post-traumatic stress symptoms following a breakup.<\/p>\n<p>Trauma-focused treatment, such as <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.apa.org\/ptsd-guideline\/treatments\/prolonged-exposure\">prolonged exposure therapy<\/a>, may help students, especially those who cannot avoid breakup-related cues such as seeing their former partners in class or on <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social media<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Since romantic breakups are not considered traumatic events within the psychiatric literature, our findings are controversial, and we do not claim that all breakups are necessarily traumatic.<\/p>\n<p>More research must be done, especially with a more diverse set of students and a larger sample size for the brain scans.<\/p>\n<div class=\"d-inline-block text-medium my-4\">\n                                                Provided by<br \/>\n                                                                                                    The Conversation<br \/>\n                                                                                                        <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"icon_open\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\"><br \/>\n                                                        <svg><use href=\"https:\/\/medx.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v6\/img\/svg\/sprite.svg#icon_open\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\"\/><\/svg><\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>                                                                                                                            This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/romantic-breakups-can-spark-severe-trauma-in-young-people-new-study-228420\">original article<\/a>.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/228420\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\"\/><\/p>\n<p>                                        <!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>                                                 <strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n                                                 Romantic breakups can spark severe trauma in young people, says researcher (2024, June 18)<br \/>\n                                                 retrieved 18 June 2024<br \/>\n                                                 from https:\/\/medicalxpress.com\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2024-06-romantic-breakups-severe-trauma-young.html<\/p>\n<p>                                            This document is subject to copyright. 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How will I pay for my education? Who do I want to spend the rest of my life with? These are the life-changing decisions many young people face. Emerging adulthood (between the ages of 18 and 25 years) is a critical&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":624681,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2020\/breakup.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-624680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=624680"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624680\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/624681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=624680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=624680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=624680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}