Researchers at the University of Denver recruited 200 teenagers for a nine-year study.
Each year participants were invited to fill out a questionnaire to test how satisfied they were with their love lives, how much they argued with their partners, and whether they suffered from depression, isolation, substance abuse or other difficulties.
The psychologists found a link between miserable relationships and unhappiness in other areas of the teenagers' lives. This link only strengthened as they grew up, 'The Times' reported.
However, between the ages of 15 and 24, young people find on the whole that their relationships become happier and more supportive.
"Romantic relationships also become increasingly supportive, more intimate and more interdependent as adolescents get older," researchers said.
The research was published in the journal Child Development.