Young Men Suffer More Pain Than Women in Relationship

A study suggests that the quality of a relationship affects young men more than their romantic counterparts, the Toronto Sun reported.

Photo: Young Men Suffer More Pain Than Women in Relationship

Robin Simon, a Wake Forest University professor of sociology, conducted a study of over 1,000 unmarried men and women between the ages of 18 and 23.

The results found that men feel the effects of their relationship’s highs and lows more than women, challenging the commonly held gender stereotypes. Men experienced both greater emotional benefits when they were happy in their romance and greater stress when they were unhappy. Simon also suggested that a young man’s sense of self worth can be hurt if his relationship is poor.

A possible reason is that a young man’s romantic partner is often their primary source of intimacy, while women are more likely to have close relationships with family and friends, Simon said, FOX News reports.

Prof Simon said, was that men and women express emotional distress in different ways.

"Women express emotional distress with depression, while men express emotional distress with substance problems."

The researchers also found that while young men are more affected by the quality of a current relationship, young women are more emotionally affected by whether or not they are in a relationship.

The study, which was part of a long-term probe into mental health and the transition to adulthood, appeared in the Journal of Health and Social Behaviour, Times of India reports.