PERCEPTION, EXPERIENCE AND REACTIONS TO ROMANTIC BREAKUP AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN, NIGERIA

Abstract

Romantic relationship which involves interdependence, strong feeling, passion and exclusive commitment between partners has been known to affect the emotional health of young people. A romantic breakup (RB) is the termination of a romantic relationship between two people by any means other than death. Romantic breakup can have negative impact on the peers involved. Quite a number of students in tertiary institutions are involved in romantic relationships; yet there is a dearth of research on the implications of RB on the emotional health of young people. Hence, this study assessed the perception, experience and reactions (physical and behavioural) to RB among undergraduates at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. This study employed a cross-sectional design using a three stage sampling technique. All thirteen faculties were selected and proportionate sampling was used to select 415 of 13,592 undergraduates consisting 217 of 7,214 males and 198 of 6,378 females respectively. A self-administered questionnaire investigating perception, experience and reactions (physical and behavioural) to romantic breakup (RB) was used to collect data from the respondents. Perception was measured on a 40-point scale; scores ≥20 were categorized as good. Reactions (physical and behavioural) to RB were measured on a 32-point scale; scores ≥16 were categorised as high reaction score. An in-depth Interview (IDI) guide assessing the experience coping strategics of RB was used to conduct six IDIs for three consenting males and three females selected purposively from those who indicated they had experienced R.B after filing the questionnaire. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square test at p=0.05 and qualitative data were analysed thematically. Age of respondents was 20.8±3.2 years and 52.3% were males. Over half (54.9%) of the respondents had a good perception towards RB with perception score of 20.6±8.5. Less than half (35.2%) of all the respondents had ever experienced RB; with more males (18.8%) having experiencing RB. Among the respondents that had ever experienced a RB, 23(15.8%) had high reaction score to RB with scores of 8.9±6.6; 70 (48.0%) spoke to friends whose counsel helped them to feel better, 10(6.9%) spoke to family members and 56 (38.4%) indicated they spoke to no one. Age of respondents was significantly associated with the experience of RB with the older age groups (26-30 years) (55.9%) and all 31-37 years age group recording higher occurrence of RB. The IDI participants reported feeling miserable and depressed immediately after their RB. Various ways in which IDI participants coped after their RB included spending more time with friends, seeking counsel from friends and family members. Many of the respondents had good perception towards romantic breakup. Irrespective of the level of reactions due to a romantic breakup, majority of respondents coped by seeking counsel from friends. Hence, a counselling unit focusing on reproductive health challenges including romantic relationships should be instituted in the health system of the institution.