{"id":39654,"date":"2022-10-18T07:05:57","date_gmt":"2022-10-18T05:05:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/?p=39654"},"modified":"2024-10-30T06:31:58","modified_gmt":"2024-10-30T05:31:58","slug":"rollercoaster-relationships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/rollercoaster-relationships\/","title":{"rendered":"Anxiety & Depression Associated with On-Again, Off-Again Relationships"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did you know that there\u2019s an actual term for on-again, off-again relationships? It\u2019s called \u2018relationship cycling\u2019, and encompasses people who have broken up and gotten back together with their <\/span>romantic<\/span> partner one or more times.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This kind of relationship behavior however, does run the risk of bringing on psychological distress for both partners, such as anxiety and depression. And these types of psychological distresses have even been scientifically proven of late in a 2015-2016 <\/span>study<\/span><\/a> by <\/span>Kale Monk<\/span>, PhD.<\/span><\/p>\n

So today, we\u2019re going to zone in on this study, and bring to light the ways in which anyone has the capability of <\/span>suffering<\/span> when they experience relationship cycling.<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ll also look at some of the most common reasons why couples tend to go through the experience of on-again, off-again relationships.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Scientific Research: Relationship Cycling & Psychological Distress\u00a0<\/span><\/h1>\n

The study looked at 545 individuals, all of varying sexual orientations. 59 percent of participants identified as female, 38 percent of participants identified as male, and 80 percent of participants were living with their romantic partner.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The average age was 35, the average length of the relationship was seven years, and 42 percent of these couples had children.<\/span><\/p>\n

So while there was variation in the participants, they all had something in common: they were going through the motions in an on-again, off-again relationship. The study then aimed to look at their symptoms of <\/span>depression<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>anxiety<\/span><\/a> over a period of 15 months.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The results? This kind of dating behavior, was, in fact, associated with psychological distress and change in distress over time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Method: Measuring Levels of Mental Health<\/span><\/h2>\n

To reach a conclusion, the researchers looked at things such as:<\/b><\/p>\n