Relational Communication and Relationship Qualities among College Daters during the Transition Back to Campus following the COVID-19 Lockdown

ABSTRACT This study examines college dating partners’ experiences during the transition back to school in the year following the COVID-19 lockdown period. Though most public universities re-opened their doors in the Fall of 2020, strict safety protocols changed the ways in which college students interacted with their peers, significant others, and institutions, laying the groundwork for changes to the relationship environment. 390 students currently in a dating relationship completed an online survey during the 2020–2021 academic year. Following previous research on married relationships, hypotheses predicted that engagement in transition processing communication is associated with more positive relationship qualities for dating partners. With some exceptions, results suggest that participants’ engagement in transition processing communication, as well as their perceptions of their partner’s engagement, are associated with decreases in relational uncertainty and improvements in interdependence during periods of disruption to the relationship environment.