Characterization of a breakup in couples of university students: Differences in cognitive assessment of the event

Abstract

The aim of this investigation was to analyze differences between young people who had a positive assessment of breakups and those who had a negative assessment, divided in turn by gender, in relation to the following variables: level of importance, level of commitment, duration of relationship, ways of loving, reasons for breaking up, coping styles, and level of depression resulting from the breakup. To that end, we conducted Student t tests with each of the variables involved. 326 university students age 17–26 (122 men and 204 women) who had recently gone through a breakup in their sentimental relationships participated in the study. Differences were found between women who assessed their breakups positively and those who assessed them negatively in relation to level of importance, level of commitment, duration of relationship, lack of sex drive, lack of commitment, rational incompatibility, in evasive coping styles, cognitive-reflexive analysis, ludic loving style, and total level of depression. In the case of men, differences were also found for level of importance, level of commitment, and coping styles: evasive, cognitive-reflexive analysis, and denial.