Arts , Humanities & Social Science

Abstract

Engaging in romantic relationships is common among university students. Romantic relationships encourage the students to develop their personal identity, provide opportunities for intimacy, and foster autonomy and independence. Contradicting the values mentioned is the distress the students undergo when breakup occurs, leading to ruminative behaviors and affecting sleep in general. However, breakup distress, rumination, and difficulties in sleep are diverse in accord with each individual inner-self psychological resilience. Therefore, we conducted this study with the aim of understanding the impact of resilience on distress, rumination, and sleep disturbances among post-breakup university students.

A total of 164 samples were collected from different universities in Ho Chi Minh City through paper-based and online surveys (Google Forms). In addition, we conducted 5 individual interviews to obtain the most objective perspective. Research results indicate that: (a) resilience is negatively correlated with post-breakup distress in students, (b) resilience is negatively correlated with post-breakup rumination, and (c) resilience has a negative correlation with sleep disturbances after breaking up. Our findings highlight the importance of psychological resilience as a protective factor against the negative effects of romantic breakups. By enhancing their resilience, college students may better cope with the emotional distress and sleep disturbances that often follow the end of a romantic relationship.