Need a Shoulder to Lean On? Dealing with Breakup Distress

People often use their social support networks to help minimize distress after stressful life events, like a breakup (Riemann, 2024; Wang et al., 2024). Previous research has shown that individual differences such as attachment style and emotional reactivity influence how people seek, interpret and respond to social support in stressful contexts (Borja et al., 2009; Rapoza et al., 2016). Additionally, studies examining the Big Five personality traits have found that certain traits, such as neuroticism and conscientiousness, can hinder the effectiveness of social support (Bolger & Amarel, 2007; Park et al., 2013; Roberts et al., 2014), whereas extraversion, agreeableness and openness tend to enhance its benefits (Agbaria & Mokh, 2022; Hoth et al., 2007; McHugh & Lawlor, 2012; Swickert et al., 2010). Despite these insights, the existing literature has rarely considered how personality traits shape the effects of social support, specifically in the context of breakups. Moreover, prior research has primarily treated social support as equally beneficial for everyone, overlooking the possibility that personality differences may explain why support sometimes fails to reduce distress for certain individuals.