All the Single Ladies: Romantic Partnering and Its Influence on the Self-Esteem of Female College Students

As college students understand and vocalize their needs, supports, and decisions, they begin to believe in their own choices and build confidence and self-esteem. Early on in their undergraduate years, many female students define themselves by their social relationships and cannot separate themselves from whom they are associated with. Thus, those in a committed romantic relationship may have more validation and support for fostering self-esteem than those who are not romantically involved. The current study seeks to understand the relationship between 250undergraduate female students’ levels of self-esteem and romantic partnerships, and projected changes if the relationship status were to change. Quantitative methodology will allow for a comparison of group averages and make supported judgments about whether or not there is a correlation between being in a romantic relationship and self-esteem in young female undergraduates. With the study findings, further research can dive deeper into the identity development of female students on college campuses and create more effective support systems for them.https://ecommons.udayton.edu/stander_posters/1393/thumbnail.jp