Facebook intensity, social network support, stability and satisfaction in long-distance and geographically-close romantic relationships: A test of a mediation model

Vol.14,No.2(2020)

Abstract

The impetus for this study is the proposition that social network sites (SNSs), like Facebook, can be beneficial for romantic relationships via network support functions. This study investigated a model which proposes that the use of Facebook predicts relationship support from Facebook connections, and this, in turn, predicts relationship stability and satisfaction in romantic relationships. This mediation model was tested on data gathered via an online survey among individuals who use Facebook, who are in long-distance (LDRR, n = 142) and geographically-close romantic relationships (GCRR, n = 314). GCRR participants reported higher levels of Facebook intensity and relationship support, as well as perceived relationship stability and satisfaction than participants in LDRR. Moreover, the results indicated that Facebook intensity predicted higher access to Facebook relationship support in LDRR and GCRR which, in turn, predicted perceived relationship stability and satisfaction in LDRR; and only perceived relationship satisfaction in GCRR. However, Facebook intensity had direct negative impacts on relationship satisfaction in GCRR, and on perceived relationship stability in LDRR. Facebook intensity and Facebook relationship support were not associated with relationship stability in GCRR. This demonstrates the relative importance of SNSs, such as Facebook, in relationship stability for those in LDRR.


Keywords:
Social network sites; Facebook; romantic relationships; network support; relationship satisfaction; relationship stability
Author biographies

Cherrie Joy Billedo

University of Amsterdam

Department of Communication Science

Peter Kerkhof

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Department of Communication Science

Professor

Catrin Finkenauer

Utrecht University

Department of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Professor

References

Ahmad, I. (2019, January 1). The most popular social media platforms of 2019. Digital Information World. https://www.digitalinformationworld.com/2019/01/most-popular-global-social-networks-apps-infographic.html

Albrecht, T. L., & Adelman, M. B. (1987). Communicating social support. Sage.

Arriaga, X. B., Goodfriend, W., & Lohmann, A. (2004). Beyond the individual: Concomitants of closeness in the social and physical environment. In D. Mashek & A. Aron (Eds.), Handbook on relationship closeness (pp. 287–303). Lawrence Erlbaum.

Aylor, B. A. (2003). Maintaining long-distance relationships. In D. J. Canary & M. Dainton (Eds.), Maintaining relationships through communication: Relational, contextual, and cultural variations (pp. 127–139). Lawrence Erlbaum. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410606990-6

Billedo, C. J., Kerkhof, P., & Finkenauer, C. (2015). The use of social network sites for relationship maintenance in long-distance and geographically-close romantic relationships. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 18(3), 152–157. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2014.0469

Burke, M., & Kraut, R. E. (2016). The relationship between Facebook use and well-being depends on communication type and tie strength. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 21(4), 265–281. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcc4.12162

Canary, D. J., & Stafford, L. (1992). Relational maintenance strategies and equity in marriage. Communication Monographs, 59(3), 243–267. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637759209376268

Caughlin, J. P., & Sharabi, L. L. (2013). A communicative interdependence perspective of close relationships: The connections between mediated and unmediated interactions matter. Journal of Communication, 63(5), 873–893. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcom.12046

Chen, F. F. (2007). Sensitivity of goodness of fit indexes to lack of measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 14(3), 464–504. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705510701301834

Chen, F. F. (2008). What happens if we compare chopsticks with forks? The impact of making inappropriate comparisons in cross-cultural research. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(5), 1005–1018. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013193

Cheung, G. W., & Rensvold, R. B. (2002). Evaluating goodness-of-fit indexes for testing measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 9(2), 233-255. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15328007SEM0902_5

Clayton, R. B., Nagurney, A., & Smith, J. R. (2013). Cheating, breakup, and divorce: Is Facebook use to blame? Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16(10), 717–720. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2012.0424

Cox, C. L., Wexler, M. O., Rusbult, C. E., & Gaines, S. O. Jr. (1997). Prescriptive support and commitment processes in close relationships. Social Psychology Quarterly, 60(1), 79–90. https://doi.org/10.2307/2787013

Dainton, M., & Aylor, B. (2001). A relational uncertainty analysis of jealousy, trust, and maintenance in long-distance versus geographically close relationships. Communication Quarterly, 49(2), 172–188. https://doi.org/10.1080/01463370109385624

Dainton, M., & Aylor, B. (2002). Routine and strategic maintenance efforts: Behavioral patterns, variations associated with relational length, and the prediction of relational characteristics. Communication Monographs, 69(1), 52–66. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637750216533

Dainton, M., & Stokes, A. (2015). College students’ relationships on Facebook: Linking the gratification for maintenance to Facebook maintenance activity and the experience of jealousy. Communication Quarterly, 63(4), 365–383. https://doi.org/10.1080/01463373.2015.1058283

Ellison, N., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2007). The benefits of Facebook "friends:" Social capital and college students' use of online social network sites. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(4), 1143–1168. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2007.00367.x

Ellison, N., Vitak, J., Gray, R., & Lampe, C. (2014). Cultivating social resources on social network sites: Facebook relationship maintenance behaviors and their role in social capital processes. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 19(4), 855–870. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcc4.12078

Emery, L. F., Muise, A., Alpert, E., & Le, B. (2015). Do we look happy? Perceptions of romantic relationship quality on Facebook. Personal Relationships, 22(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1111/pere.12059

Felmlee, D. H. (2001). No couple is an island: A social network perspective on dyadic stability. Social Forces, 79(4), 1259–1287. https://doi.org/10.1353/sof.2001.0039

Fox, J., & Warber, K. M. (2013). Social networking sites in romantic relationships: Attachment, uncertainty, and partner surveillance on Facebook. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 17(1), 3–7. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2012.0667

Fox, J., Warber, K. M., & Makstaller, D. C. (2013). The role of Facebook in romantic relationship development: An exploration of Knapp’s relational stage model. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 30(6), 771–794. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407512468370

Hand, M. M., Thomas, D., Buboltz, W. C., Deemer, E. D., & Buyanjargal, M. (2013). Facebook and romantic relationships: Intimacy and couple satisfaction associated with online social network use. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16(1), 8–13. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2012.0038

Hayes, A. F., Montoya, A. K., & Rockwood, N. J. (2017). The analysis of mechanisms and their contingencies: PROCESS versus structural equation modeling. Australasian Marketing Journal (AMJ), 25(1), 76–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ausmj.2017.02.001

Hendrick, S. S. (1988). A generic measure of relationship satisfaction. Journal of Marriage and Family, 50(1), 93–98. https://doi.org/10.2307/352430

Hu, X., Kim, A., Siwek, N., & Wilder, D. (2017). The Facebook paradox: Effects of Facebooking on individuals' social relationships and psychological well-being. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, Article 87. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00087

Jackson, J. B., Miller, R. B., Oka, M., & Henry, R. G. (2014). Gender differences in marital satisfaction: A meta-analysis. Journal of Marriage and Family, 76(1), 105–129. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12077

Jiang, L. C., & Hancock, J. T. (2013). Absence makes the communication grow fonder: Geographic separation, interpersonal media, and intimacy in dating relationships. Journal of Communication, 63(3), 556–577. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcom.12029

Keneski, E., & Loving, T. J. (2014). Network perceptions of daters’ romances. In C. R. Agnew (Ed.), Social influences on romantic relationships: Beyond the dyad (pp. 126–147). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139333610.009

Kirk, A. (2013). The effect of newer communication technologies on relationship maintenance and satisfaction in long distanced relationships. Pepperdine Journal of Communication Research, 1, Article 2. http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/pjcr/vol1/iss1/2

Knobloch, L. K., & Solomon, D. H. (1999). Measuring the sources and content of relational uncertainty. Communication Studies, 50(4), 261–278. https://doi.org/10.1080/10510979909388499

Konrath, S., Meier, B. P., & Bushman, B. J. (2014). Development and validation of the Single Item Narcissism Scale (SINS). PLoS ONE, 9(8), Article e103469. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0103469

Kühne, R. (2013). Testing measurement invariance in media psychological research. Journal of Media Psychology, 25(4), 153–159. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105/a000096

Mikal, J., Rice, R. E., Abeyta, A., & De Vilbiss, J. (2013). Transition, stress and computer-mediated social support. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(5), A40–A53. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2012.12.012

Mok, D., Wellman, B., & Basu, R. (2007). Did distance matter before the Internet? Interpersonal contact and support in the 1970s. Social Networks, 29(3), 430–461. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socnet.2007.01.009

Muise, A., Christofides, E., & Desmarais, S. (2009). More information than you ever wanted: Does Facebook bring out the green-eyed monster of jealousy? CyberPsychology & Behavior, 12(4), 441–444. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2008.0263

Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (2012). Mplus user’s guide (7th ed.). Muthén & Muthén.

Neustaedter, C., & Greenberg, S. (2011). Intimacy in long-distance relationships over video chat (Report No. 2011-1014-26). http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.228.3379&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Papacharissi, Z., & Mendelson, A. (2008). Toward a new(er) sociability: Uses, gratifications, and social capital on Facebook [Paper presentation]. Internet Research Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark. http://zizi.people.uic.edu/Site/Research_files/NewerSociabilityMediaPerspectives.pdf

Papp, L. M., Danielewicz, J., & Cayemberg, C. (2012). “Are we Facebook official?” Implications of dating partners’ Facebook use and profiles for intimate relationship satisfaction. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 15(2), 85–90. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2011.0291

Pistole, M. C., & Roberts, A. (2011). Measuring long-distance romantic relationships: A validity study. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 44(2), 63–76. https://doi.org/10.1177/0748175611400288

Rabby, M. K., & Walther, J. B. (2003). Maintaining on-line relationships. In D.J. Canary & M. Dainton (Eds.), Maintaining relationships through communication: Relational, contextual, and cultural variations (pp. 141–162). Lawrence Erlbaum. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410606990-7

Ruffieux, M., Nussbeck, F. W., & Bodenmann, G. (2014). Long-term prediction of relationship satisfaction and stability by stress, coping, communication, and well-being. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 55(6), 485–501. https://doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2014.931767

Rusbult, C. E., & Buunk, B. P. (1993). Commitment processes in close relationships: An interdependence analysis. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 10(2), 175–204. https://doi.org/10.1177/026540759301000202

Saslow, L. R., Muise, A., Impett, E. A., & Dubin, M. (2013). Can you see how happy we are? Facebook images and relationship satisfaction. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 4(4), 411–418. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550612460059

Shafer, K., Jensen, T. M., & Larson, J. H. (2014). Relationship effort, satisfaction, and stability: Differences across union type. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 40(2), 212–232. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmft.12007

Sinclair, H. C., Hood, K. B., Wright, B. L. (2014). Revisiting the Romeo and Juliet effect (Driscoll, Davis, & Lipetz, 1972): Reexamining the links between social network opinions and romantic relationship outcomes. Social Psychology, 45(3), 170–178. http://dx.doi.org/10.1027/1864-9335/a000181

Stafford, L. (2005). Maintaining long-distance and cross-residential relationships. Lawrence Erlbaum. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410611512

Stafford L., & Canary, D. J. (1991). Maintenance strategies and romantic relationship type, gender, and relational characteristics. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 8(2), 217–242. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407591082004

Tokunaga, R. S. (2011). Social networking site or social surveillance site? Understanding the use of interpersonal electronic surveillance in romantic relationships. Computers in Human Behavior, 27(2), 705–713. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2010.08.014

Tong, S. T., & Walther, J. B. (2011). Relational maintenance and computer-mediated communication. In K. B. Wright & L. M. Webb (Eds.), Computer-mediated communication in personal relationships (pp. 98–118). Peter Lang Publishing.

Utz, S., & Beukeboom, C. J. (2011). The role of social network sites in romantic relationships: Effects on jealousy and relationship happiness. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 16(4), 511–527. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2011.01552.x

Utz, S., & Breuer, J. (2017). The relationship between use of social network sites, online social support, and well-being: Results from a 6-wave longitudinal study. Journal of Media Psychology, 29(3), 115–125. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105/a000222

Van de Schoot, R., Lugtig, P., & Hox. J. (2012). A checklist for testing measurement invariance. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 9(4), 486–492. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2012.686740

van der Linden, S., & Rosenthal, S. A. (2016). Measuring narcissism with a single question? A replication and extension of the Single-Item Narcissism Scale (SINS). Personality and Individual Differences, 90, 238–241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.10.050

Vanden Abeele, M. M. P., Antheunis, M. L., Pollmann, M. M. H., Schouten, A. P., Liebrecht, C. C., van der Wijst, P. J., van Amelsvoort, M. A. A., Bartels, J., Krahmer, E. J., & Maes, F. A. (2018). Does Facebook use predict college students’ social capital? A replication Of Ellison, Steinfield, and Lampe’s (2007) study using the original and more recent measures of Facebook use and social capital, Communication Studies, 69(3), 272–282. https://doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2018.1464937

Vandenberg, R. J., & Lance, C. E. (2000). A review and synthesis of the measurement invariance literature: Suggestions, practices, and recommendations. Organizational Research Methods, 3(1), 4–70. https://doi.org/10.1177/109442810031002

Verduyn, P., Ybarra, O., Résibois, M., Jonides, J., & Kross, E. (2017). Do social network sites enhance or undermine subjective well-being? A critical review. Social Issues and Policy Review, 11(1), 274–302. https://doi.org/10.1111/sipr.12033

Visser, M., Finkenauer, C., Schoemaker, K., Kluwer, E., van der Rijken, R., van Lawick, J., Bom, H., de Schipper, J. C., Lamers-Winkelman, F. (2017). I’ll never forgive you: High-conflict divorce, social network, and forgiveness. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 26(11), 3055–3066. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0821-6

Vitak, J. (2014). Facebook makes the heart grow fonder: Relationship maintenance strategies among geographically dispersed and communication-restricted connections. In CSCW '14: Proceedings of the 17th ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (pp. 842–853). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/2531602.2531726

Weiner, A. S. B., & Hannum, J. W. (2013). Differences in the quantity of social support between geographically close and long-distance friendships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 30(5), 662–672. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407512465997

Metrics

4764

Views

1128

PDF views