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Teens who don’t date experience less depression, study says

New research conducted at the United States found out that teens who do not date experience less depression compared to teenagers who have a romantic relationship.

The Universtiy of Georgia looked at 594 students who were followed from 6th through 12th grade wherein students were asked every year if they had dated as well as to report on social and emotional factors. These include their positive relationships with friends at home and at school, and any symptoms of depression and suicidal thoughts, as per a report from the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Teachers were also given questionnaires as to the behavior, social and leadership skills as well as level of depression of their students.

The findings, published in The Journal of School Health, showed that in 10th grade, students who were not dating had significantly higher ratings from their teachers for social skills and leadership compared to their fellow students who were dating.

Furthermore, students’ own reports of positive relationships did not differ among those who dated and those who did not.

Teachers’ scores for their students on the depression scale were also significantly lower for the group that reported no dating.

Brooke Douglas, the study’s lead author said the “high frequency has led some researchers to suggest that dating during teenage years is a normative behavior”.

“Does this mean that teens that don’t date are maladjusted in some way? That they are social misfits? Few studies had examined the characteristics of youth who do not date during the teenage years, and we decided we wanted to learn more.” he added.

Researchers said dating is a normal behavior on teens contributing significance to their development, however, the study suggests otherwise.

“In summary, we found that non-dating students are doing well and are simply following a different and healthy developmental trajectory than their dating peers,” said co-author Pamela Orpinas.

Staff Report

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