Love Lost: Understanding Traumatic Reactions to Romantic Breakup Through the Lens of Perfectionism and Cognitive Processing

Romantic relationship breakups (RRBs) are one of the most common and stressful life events in emerging adulthood that can lead to the development of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). However, little is known about the risk factors that increase the risk of PTSS after RRBs. We studied the role of romantic perfectionism (as a personality vulnerability) and event centrality and integration of the event (as two key cognitive processes involved in PTSS) in the PTSS severity after RRBs. 525 university students who had experienced at least one RRB in the past two years completed online questionnaires. Results showed that high levels of romantic perfectionism were associated with higher PTSS severity. This relationship was serially mediated by event centrality and integration of the event. The findings highlight the key role of perfectionistic tendencies about romantic relationships and cognitive processing of the event in understanding PTSS after RRBs.