Post-Valentine's blues: BC study suggests breakups put men at risk for mental illness

If watching all your coupled friends post cringy messages for Valentine’s Day wasn’t enough, there’s more not-so-rosy news for those who’ve found themselves recently single: it could lead to worsened mental health.

New research out of the University of British Columbia’s Men’s Health Research Program explores how the breakdown of a romantic relationship can instigate or worsen anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts.

Although all genders are at risk for post-breakup depression, this research was funded by Movember and focused specifically on men’s mental health.

Out of the 47 men surveyed for the article published last month in Social Science and Medicine, most reported onset or worsening of mental illness symptoms when a relationship was on the rocks or when it finally ended.

The qualitative research is supported by figures scientists already know. For example, divorce quadruples the risk of male suicide.

“Stereotyped masculinity plays a role in how men react to a broken relationship,” said John Dr. Oliffe, Canada Research Chair and UBC professor of nursing, who focuses on mental health. “For example, men’s uncertainty for how to articulate and problem-solve in the relationship context resulted in many men isolating rather than reaching out for help.”

When faced with conflict in a relationship, men sometimes tend to downplay the issue — which causes the relationship to fracture further, Oliffe said.

The study also suggested men who recently went through a breakup turned to alcohol and drugs to cope with their feelings. That was also exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which made alternative coping mechanisms harder to access.

The silver lining researchers found was that men do tend to seek help, although they often wait until their mental health is at a crisis point.

“Help-seeking efforts among these men were wide-ranging and included individual or solitary efforts like exercise, reading, and self-care while other men tapped existing networks or extended their efforts to connect with support groups, or attended therapy,” said Gabriela Montaner, the project lead and co-author on the article.

The study authors believe their research can help create earlier mental health interventions for men that include assisting them to build better relationships.