The Psychology Behind Toxic Relationships in Kenyan Colleges

Depression plays a ​ role in interpersonal relationships because it is the most common psychological disorder in emerging adults. Othieno et al. (2015) found that among Kenyan university students, 35.7% moderate prevalence rate of depression, whilst 5.6% severe depressive symptom were reported.Giving this prevalence rate, stressful and traumatic experience as a result of addictive behaviours and posttraumatic stressors such as higher alcohol consumption and tobacco use, poor academic performance, religiosity/spirituality, and HIV risk behaviour sexual assault were among other factors associated with depression among university students.

Depression greatly impairs interpersonal relationships of individuals resulting in isolation and mental health disorder. Thus, depressed individuals are likely to be sad, unpleasant, negative, uncomfortable, low self-esteemed and passive, ditto university students. Hence, depression could be associated with inability to understand personal emotions and thereby compromise interpersonal relationships.

Female university students who have been subjected to gender-based violence normalise the activity because they have nobody to talk to and imagine that’s how normal relationships should be. Campus dating is fun but it should also be handled with caution. Many of us keep repeating the same mistakes when it comes to dating and hence the same bad results trail us.