Can You Tell That I’m in a Relationship? Attachment and Relationship Visibility on Facebook

Emery, Lydia F.; Muise, Amy; Dix, Emily L.; Le, Benjamin

doi:10.1177/0146167214549944

Cited by 47 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…This is consistent with recent research demonstrating that up to 38.8% of MTurk participants (Goodman, Cryder, & Cheema, 2013), and 45% of online participants (Oppenheimer, Meyvis, & Davidenko, 2009) are inattentive and fail to follow instructions, and should be deleted from analyses because they increase noise and reduce statistical power. This exclusion rate is also consistent with published studies using similar samples (e.g., Emery, Muise, Dix, & Le, 2014).…”

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 93%

Comparing You = Comparing Me

Thai

Lockwood

2015

Pers Soc Psychol Bull

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We examine whether individuals respond to comparisons involving romantic partners as they would to comparisons involving the self. Four studies (N = 2,210) using recalled (Studies 1-3) and actual (Study 4) comparisons about attractiveness (Study 1) and relationship skills (Studies 2-4) demonstrated that individuals high in self-other overlap decrease domain relevance following upward but not downward comparisons to protect their positive partner perceptions. This strategy was absent among those low in self-other overlap. Study 2 demonstrated that this effect extends to best friends, but not casual friends, due to the degree of self-other overlap. Furthermore, when reminded of their partner's inferiority in a domain, high overlap participants maintained positive global partner perceptions, whereas low overlap participants' global perceptions were negatively affected (Study 3). These results suggest that individuals do experience partner-other comparisons as if they were directly involved, but only if their partner is incorporated into their self-identity.

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Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 93%

Comparing You = Comparing Me

Thai

Lockwood

2015

Pers Soc Psychol Bull

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“…In addition, their preoccupation may involve anxiety about the pregnancy or unborn child that, in turn, prompts them to seek advice, validation, or reassurance on Facebook. Research on adult attachment and Facebook activity may provide support for this explanation in that adults who are more anxious about their relationships (ie, anxiously attached) are more likely to post about and seek visibility of their romantic relationships on Facebook [ 47 ]. However, this evidence should be viewed with caution, given that adult attachment and prenatal attachment are different constructs, as the former focuses on the adult within romantic and intimate relationships [ 48 ], whereas the latter focuses on the adult’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors toward or about their unborn child and hence not within the context of a bidirectional relationship.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pregnant Women Sharing Pregnancy-Related Information on Facebook: Web-Based Survey Study

Harpel

2018

J Med Internet Res

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BackgroundResearch indicates expectant and new mothers use the Internet, specifically social media, to gain information and support during the transition to parenthood. Although parents regularly share information about and photos of their child or children on Facebook, researchers have neither explored the use of Facebook to share pregnancy-related information nor investigated factors that influence such sharing.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to address a gap in the literature by exploring the use of Facebook by pregnant women. Specifically, the study examined the use of Facebook to share pregnancy-related information, as well as any association between prenatal attachment and the aforementioned aspects of sharing pregnancy-related information on Facebook.MethodsPregnant women who were at least 18 years of age were recruited for participation in the study through posts and paid advertisements on Facebook and posts to professional organization listservs. Individuals interested in participating were directed to a secure Web-based survey system where they completed the consent form and the survey that focused on their current pregnancy. Participants completed the Maternal Antenatal Attachment Scale and answered questions that assessed how often they shared pregnancy-related information on Facebook, who they shared it with, why they shared it, and what they shared.ResultsA total of 117 pregnant women completed the survey. Descriptive statistics indicated that the pregnancy announcement was most commonly shared (75/108, 69.4%), with most women sharing pregnancy-related information on Facebook less than monthly (52/117, 44.4%) with only family and friends (90/116, 77.6% and 91/116, 78.4%, respectively) and for the purpose of involving others or sharing the experience (62/107, 57.9%). Correlation and regression analyses showed that prenatal attachment, in general, was positively and significantly related to all aspects of sharing pregnancy-related information at the P<.05 level, with the exception of sharing because of expectations. Quality of attachment, which involves the positive feelings the woman has about her unborn child, was significantly associated with sharing to involve others or share the pregnancy (t8,93=2.654 , P=.009). In contrast, after controlling for other variables, the strength or preoccupation component of prenatal attachment was significantly associated with frequency of sharing (t8,100=2.554 , P=.01), number to types of information shared (t8,97=2.605 , P=.01), number of groups with whom shared (t8,99=3.467, P=.001), and sharing to get advice (χ28=5.339 , P=.02).ConclusionsPregnant women in this study used Facebook for a variety of reasons, demonstrating the use of the social media platform during pregnancy for supportive and informational purposes. Overall, the results of this study are likely to be useful to professionals who are seeking alternative methods for providing intervention, information, and support to pregnant women via social media in our technology-driven society.

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“…More direct support for this finding was recently provided by [ 66 ], who identified greater tendencies towards impression management via portrayal of a “false Facebook self”, in adults with high levels of attachment anxiety. In another study it was also suggested that this tendency is motivated by insecurity, when the authors reported that Facebook users with poor perceived relationship quality were more likely to make their relationship visible on their social networking profiles, by posting pictures of their partners or mentioning their partners in status updates [ 90 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An exploration of the link between adult attachment and problematic Facebook use

2018

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BackgroundPrevious studies have reported on positive and negative psychological outcomes associated with the use of social networking sites (SNSs). Research efforts linking Facebook use with depression and low self-esteem have indicated that it might be the manner in which people engage with the site that makes its use problematic for some people. The aim of the current study was to test a theoretical model of problematic Facebook use, using adult attachment style as the predictor variable of interest.MethodA cross-sectional design was employed wherein adult Facebook users (n = 717) completed measures of psychological distress, self-esteem, and adult attachment, in addition to measures of problematic Facebook use (i.e. social comparison, self-disclosures, impression management, & intrusive Facebook use). Data were analysed using hierarchical multiple regression and mediation analyses.ResultsThe results of this study indicated that attachment anxiety was predictive of all facets of problematic Facebook use, and that attachment avoidance was predictive of impression management, and social consequences of intrusive Facebook use. Further analyses confirmed the mediating influences of psychological distress and self-esteem on these relationships.ConclusionsUsers of Facebook with higher levels of attachment insecurity may be gravitating towards the site in order to fulfil their attachment needs. This tendency is likely to be particularly prevalent for those individuals with low self-esteem who are experiencing psychological distress.

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Can You Tell That I’m in a Relationship? Attachment and Relationship Visibility on Facebook

Cited by 47 publications

References 47 publications

Comparing You = Comparing Me

Comparing You = Comparing Me

Pregnant Women Sharing Pregnancy-Related Information on Facebook: Web-Based Survey Study

An exploration of the link between adult attachment and problematic Facebook use

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