Coping Styles and Romantic Relationship Conflict as Predictors of Academic Performance and Psychological Well-Being: A Cross-Sectional Study of Pakistani University Students

Abstract

Romantic relationships are prevalent throughout university life, yet little is known about how conflict with a partner and the way students handle stress relate to their studies and mental health in Pakistan. This study examined whether coping styles and romantic relationship conflict predict academic performance and psychological well-being among young adults, and whether coping differs between men and women. Quantitative cross-sectional design was used. 210 university students aged 20–30 years (105 men and 105 women) in a romantic relationship studying in Islamabad and Rawalpindi were purposively sampled. Romantic Partner Conflict Scale, Brief COPE, Academic Performance Scale and Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scale were administered. All instruments had acceptable reliability (α=.72–.80). Simple linear regressions showed that neither coping styles nor romantic relationship conflict significantly predicted academic performance (β = .046 and .053 respectively) or psychological well-being (β = .030 and −.013), and each model explained 0.3% of variance or less. Independent samples t tests showed that men and women coped and reported conflict similarly. These results indicate that students in this sample were able to keep relationship problems from spilling over into studies and mental health because of resilience and social support but also point to the need for subscale level and longitudinal designs in future work. Universities still may need confidential counseling and peer support services.