Relationships During Teen Years May Lead To Emotional Issues And Alcohol Abuse

The quality of your early relationships can affect your life, according to a study from the University of Denver. The study suggests that when being in relationships during teen years, can lead to a host of problems such as depression, anxiety to alcohol abuse. 200 sixteen year olds were followed for 9 years by researchers. They were asked to complete questionnaires which kept a track of their romantic relationships and also assessed their levels of anxiety, depression and social withdrawal. It also surveyed on their drug and alcohol use as well as their ongoing feelings of happiness and satisfaction within their relationship.

From this data, the researchers found that the teens in relationships experienced more emotional issues, they were more likely to experience social withdrawal and consumed more alcohol than that of a 16-year-old who was single and started their relationship at a later age.

“We found relationships that were more supportive and satisfying, and those that had fewer negative interactions were associated with better psychosocial adjustment, above and beyond the effects of simply being in a relationship,” according to Charlene Collibee, a doctoral student at the University of Denver, who coauthored the study. "Therefore, it's not just having a romantic relationship that's linked to psychosocial functioning, but the nature of that relationship."

Source-Medindia