Abstract
College is a stressful time for students and social support can help students cope with stress. However, research investigating how college students’ romantic relationships might serve as a daily source of support around academic stressors and academic outcomes is limited. This study investigated whether romantic partners are a source of daily academic support during times of academic stress (midterms), and whether satisfaction with academic support is associated with higher levels of student engagement. Students reported daily academic support seeking from their romantic partners during midterms, and satisfaction was positively associated with student engagement. Understanding how romantic partners can buffer against academic stress is crucial to supporting students’ academic outcomes, mental, and physical health. While romantic partners serve as sources of support around academic stress and outcomes, low levels of academic support seeking suggest they may not be a main source.