(U-WIRE) LOS ANGELES -- Boyfriends offer less emotional support than female friends in the lives of depressed young women, according to a new study by University of Southern California's psychology department.
The five-year study, published last month in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, demonstrated that boyfriends increasingly alienate themselves from their girlfriends as the young women become depressed.
Many of the subjects' boyfriends, described as "cold and aloof," further contributed to the young women's depression, said Shannon Daley, lead author of the study and assistant professor of psychology.
"Dealing with depression is a pretty big burden on anyone," Daley said. "It's not like they are mean, horrible guys. They just don't have the skills to deal with it."
Almost half of the 138 female subjects, all recent high school graduates at the beginning of the study, suffered at least one major depressive episode during the five-year span -- a common occurrence among women in this age group, Daley said.
The study also found that the depressed women did not notice increased emotional support from their best female friends, even though these friends attested to providing the additional support, Daley said.
"What matters most is how much support you think you're getting," she said. "What's in the mind of the beholder is almost more important than reality."
Jerald Jellison, professor of psychology, hypothesized that the depressed women tend to take their friends' constant support for granted and thus do not notice it.
"(A woman's) girlfriends are generally providing support anyway," Jellison said. "When you need emotional support, and you aren't getting it (from a boyfriend), it stands out more."
Christina Morones, president of Helenes, a service organization for female students, was surprised that young women held this misperception. Young women are most vulnerable when they are depressed, said Morones, a sophomore majoring in English. But Morones agreed that depressed women get more support from their female friends than boyfriends.
"It makes sense that a woman who understands her offers her the best support," Morones said. "It's easier to be closer to a girl because you talk about your boyfriend. Girls can bond on that level."
At the same time, Morones said it is nearly impossible for young women's boyfriends to offer this kind of support in times of depression.
"He can offer sympathy but not empathy," she added.
While women want to discuss the emotional experience of their problems, a male is best able to relate to his girlfriend's problems by proposing a solution, Jellison said.
Cari Moreno, a junior majoring in accounting, welcomes the different kind of support from her boyfriend.
"Sometimes if I am extremely emotional and over the top, I want that," she said. "He will calm me down and help me to see both sides of the problem."
But because males cannot always provide needed emotional support and can actually contribute to a woman's depression, Daley stressed the importance of maintaining close female friendships.
In her experience as a clinical psychologist, Daley noticed that women tended to pull away from their female friends and cling more tightly to their boyfriends -- an unhealthy behavior, she said, especially among women who do not maintain healthy relationships.
"There are guys out there who don't make good partners, and those are the guys depressed girls pick," Daley said.
Not only are men less responsive, but women may avoid talking to their boyfriends about their emotions to avoid conflict, said Diana Kampa, membership chair of the Helenes and a sophomore majoring in psychology.
"You're more inclined to make (your boyfriend) happy," she said. "You don't want to rock the boat."
Daley said that the study is the first of its kind to directly assess the relationships between a depressed young woman, her boyfriend and best female friend.
"Very rarely does anyone ask the people in their lives directly how supportive they are being," Daley said
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