Links between Best Friendship, Romantic Relationship, and Psychological Well-Being in Emerging Adulthood

Abstract

Best friendships and romantic relationships are linked to psychological well-being in emerging adulthood, but few studies have assessed their contribution simultaneously. This research (n = 190; 64.4% women) examined the links between intimacy and conflict with the best friend and the romantic partner on psychological well-being (self-esteem, depression, loneliness). Results showed that both relationships were independently linked to well-being, while also interacting with one another. Among participants reporting a less intimate or conflictual romantic relationship, an intimate best friendship was linked to higher self-esteem. Moreover, a conflictual best friendship was related to higher depressive symptoms only among those having a conflictual romantic relationship. Thus, best friendships and romantic relationships show distinct and combined contributions to well-being in emerging adulthood.

Keywords:

• Emerging adulthood
• best friendship
• romantic relationship
• intimacy
• conflict
• psychological well-being

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, F.P. The data are not publicly available due to privacy and ethical restrictions.

Notes

1 Preliminary analyses involving the entire sample (n = 303) were carried out to verify whether the links between intimacy and conflict with the best friend and well-being (self-esteem, depressive symptoms, loneliness) varied according to relationship status (having or not having a partner). The model was tested separately for each dependent variable. The effects of relationship duration and gender were controlled for. No interaction effect between relationship status and the level of best friendship intimacy or conflict were observed. However, the results showed that single emerging adults tended to feel more depressed, β = -0.19, t(288) = -3.25, p <0.01 and more lonely, β = -0.24, t(288) = -4.07, p <0.001 than those in a romantic relationship.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by grants to the second author from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Fonds Québécois pour la Recherche sur la Société et la Culture. It was conducted as part of the first author’s doctoral dissertation.