Dating Anxiety During the Global COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for College Students Taylor M. Dattilo 1 , Rachel S. Fisher 1 , Katherine A. Traino 1 , Caroline M. Roberts 1 , Vicky Lehmann 2 , John M. Chaney 1 , and Larry L. Mullins 1 1 Center for Pediatric Psychology, Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University 2 Department of Medical Psychology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam Dating anxiety (i.e., anxiety experienced when initiating and/or maintaining a romantic connection) is prevalent in the college student population. Dating anxiety may contribute to psychological distress and diminished life satisfaction and has been found to be associated with depressive symptoms. The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated preventative strategies that may negatively impact college students’ ability to socialize and thus potentially worsen their mental health. The current study examined whether the relationship between dating anxiety and depressive symptoms was moderated by perceived impact of COVID-19. Participants included college students (N = 225) enrolled at a large Midwestern university and were 18–23 years of age (M age = 18.95). Participants completed self-report measures of demographics, dating anxiety, perceived impact of COVID-19, and depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms were significantly associated with dating anxiety, b = .40, 95% CI [.292, .513], and COVID-19 impact, b = .33, 95% CI [.220, .436]. The interaction term (Dating Anxiety 3 COVID-19 Impact) was significant, b = .15, 95% CI [.062, .240], such that the relationship between higher dating anxiety and greater depressive symptoms strengthened as COVID-19 impact increased. Our findings demonstrate that increased dating anxiety is related to increased depressive symptoms, which are worsened by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. College students more strongly impacted by COVID-19 may have increased dating anxiety because of decreased exposure to social situations. What is the significance of this article for the general public? The current results have particular implications for mental health services provided to college students. Clinicians providing care to college students should consider the substantial challenges the COVID-19 pandemic presents for daily living, including dating, particularly for individuals who reported higher perceived impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Keywords: dating anxiety, COVID-19 pandemic, college students, depressive symptoms Emerging adulthood is a developmental period during which adolescents and young adults may pur- sue postsecondary education or training, assume increased responsibility over activities of daily liv- ing, move out of the parental home, and/or engage in romantic or dating relationships (Arnett, 2007). For This article was published Online First June 16, 2022. Taylor M. Dattilo https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7314-5364 Rachel S. Fisher https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7128-9871 Caroline M. Roberts https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6921-1282 Vicky Lehmann https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4898-3176 Thank you to the college students for participation in the current study. The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest. This work was supported in part through the Vaughn Vennerberg Endowment at Oklahoma State University. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Taylor M. Dattilo, Center for Pediatric Psychology, Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University, 116 Psychology Building, Stillwater, OK 74078, United States. Email: taylor.morgan@okstate .edu 352 Translational Issues in Psychological Science © 2022 American Psychological Association 2022, Vol. 8, No. 3, 352–361 ISSN: 2332-2179 https://doi.org/10.1037/tps0000307 This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly.