Andy J Merolla
Biographic Data
| ID | 758709 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Andy J Merolla |
| GIVEN NAMES | Andy J |
| FAMILY NAME | Merolla |
| SIGNATURE | MEROLLA A J |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of California, Santa Barbara |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0271-144X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 27 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 112 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 27 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2006 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Social Determinants of Message Exposure and Health Anxiety Among Young Sexual Minority Men in the United States During the 2022 Mpox Outbreak
This study tested the structural influence model of communication in the context of the 2022 global outbreak of the Mpox virus among young sexual minority men. The primary objective was to understand how distinct social determinants, including education, race/ethnicity, and interpersonal discrimination, influenced exposure to Mpox messages in daily life and affected health anxiety concerning the Mpox virus in the United States. We also explored t…
Past Relational Experiences and Social Interaction: Direct, Moderated, and Mediated Associations Between Relational Difficulty, Communication, and Perception in Two Samples
This study examined the relationship between perceptions of relational history, namely, past relational challenges, and everyday social interaction experiences. In efforts to build upon and extend previous research, hypotheses directed toward replication and extension were tested in two experience sampling datasets ( N = 120 and 220). Consistent support was found for the idea that people with a history of relational difficulties tend to perceive …
Responsiveness, Social Connection, Hope, and Life Satisfaction in Everyday Social Interaction: An Experience Sampling Study
What are the specific everyday communication experiences—from across people’s social networks—that contribute to well-being? In the present work, we focus on the effects of perceived partner responsiveness in social interactions on various well-being outcomes. We hypothesized that everyday moments of responsiveness indirectly support two key estimates of well-being (hope and life satisfaction) through feelings of social connection. Data were obta…
Early relational exclusion and present-day minority stress, social anxiety, and coping responses among sexual minority men
Drawing from minority stress theory, research on ostracism, and the communication of exclusion, this study had two goals. First, we aimed to test how perceptions of early relational exclusion relate to current-day minority stress, coping strategies, and social anxiety among young sexual minority men. Second, we aimed to test the reciprocal within-person associations between present-day minority stress, coping strategies, and social anxiety over a…
Individuals' perceptions of reciprocal relationship maintenance in their marriage and its impact on communal orientation, relational load, and ability to flourish
This study investigates individuals' perceptions of reciprocal relationship maintenance in their marriage over time during the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19). Using a Qualtrics Panel, married individuals (N = 3,601) completed online surveys at four time points during the initial 3 months of the pandemic. Both the between- and within-person effects were consistent with the theory of resilience and relational load. On average, married individuals …
Relational maintenance among separated Latina/o/x/e immigrant families: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Parents and Children
Prior relational maintenance research primarily (a) considers only one family member's perspective, (b) explores introspective communication, and (c) examines romantic relationships among highly resourced white samples in the United States. This study considered low-income, Latina/o/x/e immigrant families' maintenance before, during, and after migration-related separation, using standpoint theory, social communication theory, and the long-distanc…
Social Bandwidth: When and Why Are Social Interactions Energy Intensive
This manuscript identifies the characteristics of a social interaction or social event that make it energy intensive and explores the experience of recovering from an energy-intensive interaction. Study One ( N = 309) used an inductive approach to identify social interactions or events that were energy intensive. Study Two ( N = 120) used an experience sampling method to explore overall energy expense in everyday conversations ( N = 3,092). Commu…
Moments of Connection for the Disconnected: People with Negative Relations with Others Experience Less, but Benefit More from, Positive Everyday Interaction
Analysis of over 2,000 moments of social interaction collected through smartphone-based experience sampling showed that, over a week-long period, people who have experienced negative relations with others (relative to those who have not), interacted with individuals from less-established relationships, perceived less partner responsiveness during interactions (particularly from their established relationship partners), and were more likely to rep…
Which mediated social interactions satisfy the need to belong
This investigation uses the two-process model of needs to explore differences between face-to-face communication and interpersonal media in terms of belongingness need satisfaction. Using experience sampling methods, Study 1 (N = 117) explored change in feelings of loneliness and connection from interpersonal media use within a day. Study 2 (N = 1,747) examined the association between loneliness and life satisfaction as mediated by patterns of in…
Intimate partner violence disclosure among Muslim-Americans: A survey study of disclosure likelihood to varying networks and the roles of relational context, religiosity, and marginalization
This study examined the roles of relational context, religiosity, and marginalization in Muslim-American adults’ (N = 314) disclosure of intimate partner violence (IPV). Participants responded to scenarios involving IPV perpetrated by Muslim or non-Muslim partners. When IPV perpetrators were non-Muslim, disclosure likelihood was higher to non-Muslim networks (e.g., law enforcement, non-Muslim friends), whereas when perpetrators were Muslim, discl…
Typicality and volition as fundamental features of everyday relational communication
Drawing from communicate bond belong theory, two dimensions of routine social interactions (i.e., volition, typicality) are examined in the context of everyday talk to advance theory on relationship maintenance. Adults' ( N = 127) social interactions ( n = 2537) were collected using experience sampling. Testing preregistered hypotheses, multilevel modeling results suggest that in more typical interactions individuals reported more connection and …
Day-to-day relational life during the Covid-19 pandemic: Linking mental health, daily relational experiences, and end-of-day outlook
This study aimed to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic alters day-to-day relational experiences and how daily relational experiences shape outlook on the pandemic. Data were collected from university students in the U.S. using smartphone-based experience sampling and nightly diary surveys over a 10-day period beginning in April 2020. To address the first objective, we examined how pandemic-related anxiety and depressive symptoms manifested in t…
Pathways to connection: An intensive longitudinal examination of state and dispositional hope, day quality, and everyday interpersonal interaction
Building on hope theory, this study demonstrates that state and trait hope are associated with daily interpersonal experiences. Multilevel modeling of daily diary data ( N = 127 adults) indicated that state hope-composed of the dual factors of pathways (i.e., the ability to devise routes toward goals) and agency (i.e., motivation to pursue devised routes)-was negatively associated with amount of daily interpersonal conflict, positively associated…
Working hard to make a good impression: The relational consequences of effortful self-presentation
This manuscript seeks to discover when a more conscious self-presentation in everyday social interactions results in positive feelings and connection to others. Communicate bond belong (CBB) theory frames hypotheses regarding how self-presentation consciousness and relationship status effect social energy expenditure, and how these concepts relate to in-the-moment well-being. Participants (N = 127) reported on social interactions (n = 2,537) in a…
Connecting Everyday Talk and Time Alone to Global Well-Being
Theoretical explanations for associations between characteristics of social interactions and global well-being (e.g., life satisfaction, loneliness) require further development and empirical grounding. We used the Communicate Bond Belong theory to develop six hypotheses linking the frequency, type, relatedness-to-energy ratio, and volition/choice of everyday social interactions with global well-being. Hypotheses were tested using two experience s…
Perseverative cognition, distracted communication, and well‐being in everyday social interaction
This study examined how rumination and worry experienced within varying contexts of everyday life are associated with current‐moment and cross‐moment indicators of subjective well‐being. We also investigated if, in the context of social interaction, distracted communication uniquely predicts subjective well‐being and mediates the link between perseverative cognition and well‐being. Using experience sampling, we found that the effects of ruminatio…
Hope communication as a predictor of documented and undocumented Latina/o high school students’ college intentions across an academic year
Drawing from hope theory, we examined whether hope communication predicted undocumented and documented U.S. Latina/o youth’s college intentions across an academic year. With three waves of survey data from 172 documented and 253 undocumented Latina/o high school students, auto-regressive cross-lagged analyses revealed that parent, teacher, and friend hope communication at the beginning of the year indirectly increased students’ college intentions…
Relational Change Following Hurtful Conflict: An Extension of Identity Implications Theory
Using identity implications theory as a guiding lens, this study examined how siblings, dating partners, and friends pursue relational repair or relational distancing after a hurtful conflict. Identity implications theory addresses how people pursue goals, but few studies have examined how varying types of relationships fit into the theory’s framework. Using a convenience sample of young adults (N = 581), we found that relationship type interacte…
A longitudinal analysis of financial loss, anxiety, destructive conflict, and relational maintenance
This study examined how destructive conflict behavior and relational maintenance behavior are linked to financial loss in adult romantic relationships. Based on conservation of resources (COR) theory, it was hypothesized that financial loss indirectly (through anxiety) predicts increased destructive conflict behavior and decreased relational maintenance behavior. Across three waves of data, results indicated that financial loss significantly pred…
Parental Hope Communication and Parent-Adolescent Constructive Conflict Management: A Multilevel Longitudinal Analysis
Drawing from relational conflict management research and hope theory, the present study hypothesized that parental hope communication is positively related to constructive parent-adolescent conflict management. Utilizing three waves of longitudinal survey data from 393 Latina/o 6th–8th grade students, we tested the hypotheses using a random intercept cross-lagged panel model, which partitions variance at the between-person and within-person level…
Using an Acculturation‐Stress‐Resilience Framework to Explore Latent Profiles of Latina/o Language Brokers
With survey data from 243 Latina/o early adolescent language brokers, latent profile analyses were conducted to identify different types (i.e., profiles) of brokers. Profiles were based on how often Latina/o early adolescents brokered for family members, as well as their levels of family-based acculturation stress, negative brokering beliefs, parentification, and positive brokering beliefs. Three brokering profiles emerged: (1) infrequent-ambival…
The role of hope in conflict management and relational maintenance
Rooted in hope theory, this study examined how dispositional and relationship‐specific hope influence communication in romantic relationships. In Study 1a, dispositional hope was positively associated with active and constructive conflict responses and negatively associated with passive and destructive conflict responses. In Study 1b, dispositional hope was mainly a positive predictor of active and constructive responses. Hope was also found to p…
Connecting here and there: A model of long‐distance relationship maintenance
This study examines a model of long‐distance relationship maintenance. The model captures the relational cognition and communication partners enact before, during, and after periods of separation to sustain relational quality. Phase 1 of this study, through inductive analysis, identified 178 forms of maintenance. Phases 2 and 3 employed factor analysis and produced support for a 10‐factor model. Subsequent tests assessed how these factors predict…
In the wake of transgressions: Examining forgiveness communication in personal relationships
This study evaluated several structural equation models testing the relations between forgiveness communication styles, offense and offender variables, and relational characteristics. Results suggest partners' style of forgiveness (i.e., direct, indirect, and conditional) is shaped by offense and offender variables. Specifically, offender remorse positively predicted both direct and conditional forgiveness, offense severity negatively predicted i…
Relational Maintenance and Noncopresence Reconsidered: Conceptualizing Geographic Separation in Close Relationships
Journal Article Relational Maintenance and Noncopresence Reconsidered: Conceptualizing Geographic Separation in Close Relationships Get access Andy J. Merolla Andy J. Merolla 1Department of Communication Studies, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Communication Theory, Volume 20, Issue 2, May 2010, Pages 169–193, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2885.2010.0…
Idealization, reunions, and stability in long-distance dating relationships
Two studies explore the seeming paradox reported in prior research on long-distance dating relationships (LDDRs): Despite limited interaction, LDDR partners evidence greater relational stability than partners in geographically close dating relationships (GCDRs). We investigate speculations that romantic idealization may be a key component in LDDR stability. Idealization (i.e., idealistic distortion, romantic love, relational reminiscence, perceiv…
Relational Maintenance and Noncopresence Reconsidered: Conceptualizing Geographic Separation in Close Relationships
Journal Article Relational Maintenance and Noncopresence Reconsidered: Conceptualizing Geographic Separation in Close Relationships Get access Andy J. Merolla Andy J. Merolla 1Department of Communication Studies, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Communication Theory, Volume 20, Issue 2, May 2010, Pages 169–193, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2885.2010.0…
When long-distance dating partners become geographically close
This study explored long-distance dating relationships' (LDDRs) transition to geographic proximity. About half of LDDR partners experience this transition, whereas the other half end their relationships during separation. Among reunited relationships, one-third terminate within 3 months of reunion. Participants' open-ended responses highlight changes associated with reunion, including the loss of autonomy; increased positive and negative knowledg…
Using an Acculturation‐Stress‐Resilience Framework to Explore Latent Profiles of Latina/o Language Brokers
With survey data from 243 Latina/o early adolescent language brokers, latent profile analyses were conducted to identify different types (i.e., profiles) of brokers. Profiles were based on how often Latina/o early adolescents brokered for family members, as well as their levels of family-based acculturation stress, negative brokering beliefs, parentification, and positive brokering beliefs. Three brokering profiles emerged: (1) infrequent-ambival…
Which mediated social interactions satisfy the need to belong
This investigation uses the two-process model of needs to explore differences between face-to-face communication and interpersonal media in terms of belongingness need satisfaction. Using experience sampling methods, Study 1 (N = 117) explored change in feelings of loneliness and connection from interpersonal media use within a day. Study 2 (N = 1,747) examined the association between loneliness and life satisfaction as mediated by patterns of in…
Connecting Everyday Talk and Time Alone to Global Well-Being
Theoretical explanations for associations between characteristics of social interactions and global well-being (e.g., life satisfaction, loneliness) require further development and empirical grounding. We used the Communicate Bond Belong theory to develop six hypotheses linking the frequency, type, relatedness-to-energy ratio, and volition/choice of everyday social interactions with global well-being. Hypotheses were tested using two experience s…
Pathways to connection: An intensive longitudinal examination of state and dispositional hope, day quality, and everyday interpersonal interaction
Building on hope theory, this study demonstrates that state and trait hope are associated with daily interpersonal experiences. Multilevel modeling of daily diary data ( N = 127 adults) indicated that state hope-composed of the dual factors of pathways (i.e., the ability to devise routes toward goals) and agency (i.e., motivation to pursue devised routes)-was negatively associated with amount of daily interpersonal conflict, positively associated…
Day-to-day relational life during the Covid-19 pandemic: Linking mental health, daily relational experiences, and end-of-day outlook
This study aimed to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic alters day-to-day relational experiences and how daily relational experiences shape outlook on the pandemic. Data were collected from university students in the U.S. using smartphone-based experience sampling and nightly diary surveys over a 10-day period beginning in April 2020. To address the first objective, we examined how pandemic-related anxiety and depressive symptoms manifested in t…
Parental Hope Communication and Parent-Adolescent Constructive Conflict Management: A Multilevel Longitudinal Analysis
Drawing from relational conflict management research and hope theory, the present study hypothesized that parental hope communication is positively related to constructive parent-adolescent conflict management. Utilizing three waves of longitudinal survey data from 393 Latina/o 6th–8th grade students, we tested the hypotheses using a random intercept cross-lagged panel model, which partitions variance at the between-person and within-person level…
Relational Change Following Hurtful Conflict: An Extension of Identity Implications Theory
Using identity implications theory as a guiding lens, this study examined how siblings, dating partners, and friends pursue relational repair or relational distancing after a hurtful conflict. Identity implications theory addresses how people pursue goals, but few studies have examined how varying types of relationships fit into the theory’s framework. Using a convenience sample of young adults (N = 581), we found that relationship type interacte…
Individuals' perceptions of reciprocal relationship maintenance in their marriage and its impact on communal orientation, relational load, and ability to flourish
This study investigates individuals' perceptions of reciprocal relationship maintenance in their marriage over time during the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19). Using a Qualtrics Panel, married individuals (N = 3,601) completed online surveys at four time points during the initial 3 months of the pandemic. Both the between- and within-person effects were consistent with the theory of resilience and relational load. On average, married individuals …
Relational maintenance among separated Latina/o/x/e immigrant families: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Parents and Children
Prior relational maintenance research primarily (a) considers only one family member's perspective, (b) explores introspective communication, and (c) examines romantic relationships among highly resourced white samples in the United States. This study considered low-income, Latina/o/x/e immigrant families' maintenance before, during, and after migration-related separation, using standpoint theory, social communication theory, and the long-distanc…
Hope communication as a predictor of documented and undocumented Latina/o high school students’ college intentions across an academic year
Drawing from hope theory, we examined whether hope communication predicted undocumented and documented U.S. Latina/o youth’s college intentions across an academic year. With three waves of survey data from 172 documented and 253 undocumented Latina/o high school students, auto-regressive cross-lagged analyses revealed that parent, teacher, and friend hope communication at the beginning of the year indirectly increased students’ college intentions…
When long-distance dating partners become geographically close
This study explored long-distance dating relationships' (LDDRs) transition to geographic proximity. About half of LDDR partners experience this transition, whereas the other half end their relationships during separation. Among reunited relationships, one-third terminate within 3 months of reunion. Participants' open-ended responses highlight changes associated with reunion, including the loss of autonomy; increased positive and negative knowledg…
Idealization, reunions, and stability in long-distance dating relationships
Two studies explore the seeming paradox reported in prior research on long-distance dating relationships (LDDRs): Despite limited interaction, LDDR partners evidence greater relational stability than partners in geographically close dating relationships (GCDRs). We investigate speculations that romantic idealization may be a key component in LDDR stability. Idealization (i.e., idealistic distortion, romantic love, relational reminiscence, perceiv…
Relational Maintenance and Noncopresence Reconsidered: Conceptualizing Geographic Separation in Close Relationships
Journal Article Relational Maintenance and Noncopresence Reconsidered: Conceptualizing Geographic Separation in Close Relationships Get access Andy J. Merolla Andy J. Merolla 1Department of Communication Studies, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Communication Theory, Volume 20, Issue 2, May 2010, Pages 169–193, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2885.2010.0…
In the wake of transgressions: Examining forgiveness communication in personal relationships
This study evaluated several structural equation models testing the relations between forgiveness communication styles, offense and offender variables, and relational characteristics. Results suggest partners' style of forgiveness (i.e., direct, indirect, and conditional) is shaped by offense and offender variables. Specifically, offender remorse positively predicted both direct and conditional forgiveness, offense severity negatively predicted i…
Connecting here and there: A model of long‐distance relationship maintenance
This study examines a model of long‐distance relationship maintenance. The model captures the relational cognition and communication partners enact before, during, and after periods of separation to sustain relational quality. Phase 1 of this study, through inductive analysis, identified 178 forms of maintenance. Phases 2 and 3 employed factor analysis and produced support for a 10‐factor model. Subsequent tests assessed how these factors predict…
The role of hope in conflict management and relational maintenance
Rooted in hope theory, this study examined how dispositional and relationship‐specific hope influence communication in romantic relationships. In Study 1a, dispositional hope was positively associated with active and constructive conflict responses and negatively associated with passive and destructive conflict responses. In Study 1b, dispositional hope was mainly a positive predictor of active and constructive responses. Hope was also found to p…
A longitudinal analysis of financial loss, anxiety, destructive conflict, and relational maintenance
This study examined how destructive conflict behavior and relational maintenance behavior are linked to financial loss in adult romantic relationships. Based on conservation of resources (COR) theory, it was hypothesized that financial loss indirectly (through anxiety) predicts increased destructive conflict behavior and decreased relational maintenance behavior. Across three waves of data, results indicated that financial loss significantly pred…
Parental Hope Communication and Parent-Adolescent Constructive Conflict Management: A Multilevel Longitudinal Analysis
Drawing from relational conflict management research and hope theory, the present study hypothesized that parental hope communication is positively related to constructive parent-adolescent conflict management. Utilizing three waves of longitudinal survey data from 393 Latina/o 6th–8th grade students, we tested the hypotheses using a random intercept cross-lagged panel model, which partitions variance at the between-person and within-person level…
Using an Acculturation‐Stress‐Resilience Framework to Explore Latent Profiles of Latina/o Language Brokers
With survey data from 243 Latina/o early adolescent language brokers, latent profile analyses were conducted to identify different types (i.e., profiles) of brokers. Profiles were based on how often Latina/o early adolescents brokered for family members, as well as their levels of family-based acculturation stress, negative brokering beliefs, parentification, and positive brokering beliefs. Three brokering profiles emerged: (1) infrequent-ambival…
Hope communication as a predictor of documented and undocumented Latina/o high school students’ college intentions across an academic year
Drawing from hope theory, we examined whether hope communication predicted undocumented and documented U.S. Latina/o youth’s college intentions across an academic year. With three waves of survey data from 172 documented and 253 undocumented Latina/o high school students, auto-regressive cross-lagged analyses revealed that parent, teacher, and friend hope communication at the beginning of the year indirectly increased students’ college intentions…
Relational Change Following Hurtful Conflict: An Extension of Identity Implications Theory
Using identity implications theory as a guiding lens, this study examined how siblings, dating partners, and friends pursue relational repair or relational distancing after a hurtful conflict. Identity implications theory addresses how people pursue goals, but few studies have examined how varying types of relationships fit into the theory’s framework. Using a convenience sample of young adults (N = 581), we found that relationship type interacte…
Perseverative cognition, distracted communication, and well‐being in everyday social interaction
This study examined how rumination and worry experienced within varying contexts of everyday life are associated with current‐moment and cross‐moment indicators of subjective well‐being. We also investigated if, in the context of social interaction, distracted communication uniquely predicts subjective well‐being and mediates the link between perseverative cognition and well‐being. Using experience sampling, we found that the effects of ruminatio…
Working hard to make a good impression: The relational consequences of effortful self-presentation
This manuscript seeks to discover when a more conscious self-presentation in everyday social interactions results in positive feelings and connection to others. Communicate bond belong (CBB) theory frames hypotheses regarding how self-presentation consciousness and relationship status effect social energy expenditure, and how these concepts relate to in-the-moment well-being. Participants (N = 127) reported on social interactions (n = 2,537) in a…
Connecting Everyday Talk and Time Alone to Global Well-Being
Theoretical explanations for associations between characteristics of social interactions and global well-being (e.g., life satisfaction, loneliness) require further development and empirical grounding. We used the Communicate Bond Belong theory to develop six hypotheses linking the frequency, type, relatedness-to-energy ratio, and volition/choice of everyday social interactions with global well-being. Hypotheses were tested using two experience s…
Intimate partner violence disclosure among Muslim-Americans: A survey study of disclosure likelihood to varying networks and the roles of relational context, religiosity, and marginalization
This study examined the roles of relational context, religiosity, and marginalization in Muslim-American adults’ (N = 314) disclosure of intimate partner violence (IPV). Participants responded to scenarios involving IPV perpetrated by Muslim or non-Muslim partners. When IPV perpetrators were non-Muslim, disclosure likelihood was higher to non-Muslim networks (e.g., law enforcement, non-Muslim friends), whereas when perpetrators were Muslim, discl…
Typicality and volition as fundamental features of everyday relational communication
Drawing from communicate bond belong theory, two dimensions of routine social interactions (i.e., volition, typicality) are examined in the context of everyday talk to advance theory on relationship maintenance. Adults' ( N = 127) social interactions ( n = 2537) were collected using experience sampling. Testing preregistered hypotheses, multilevel modeling results suggest that in more typical interactions individuals reported more connection and …
Day-to-day relational life during the Covid-19 pandemic: Linking mental health, daily relational experiences, and end-of-day outlook
This study aimed to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic alters day-to-day relational experiences and how daily relational experiences shape outlook on the pandemic. Data were collected from university students in the U.S. using smartphone-based experience sampling and nightly diary surveys over a 10-day period beginning in April 2020. To address the first objective, we examined how pandemic-related anxiety and depressive symptoms manifested in t…
Pathways to connection: An intensive longitudinal examination of state and dispositional hope, day quality, and everyday interpersonal interaction
Building on hope theory, this study demonstrates that state and trait hope are associated with daily interpersonal experiences. Multilevel modeling of daily diary data ( N = 127 adults) indicated that state hope-composed of the dual factors of pathways (i.e., the ability to devise routes toward goals) and agency (i.e., motivation to pursue devised routes)-was negatively associated with amount of daily interpersonal conflict, positively associated…
Moments of Connection for the Disconnected: People with Negative Relations with Others Experience Less, but Benefit More from, Positive Everyday Interaction
Analysis of over 2,000 moments of social interaction collected through smartphone-based experience sampling showed that, over a week-long period, people who have experienced negative relations with others (relative to those who have not), interacted with individuals from less-established relationships, perceived less partner responsiveness during interactions (particularly from their established relationship partners), and were more likely to rep…
Which mediated social interactions satisfy the need to belong
This investigation uses the two-process model of needs to explore differences between face-to-face communication and interpersonal media in terms of belongingness need satisfaction. Using experience sampling methods, Study 1 (N = 117) explored change in feelings of loneliness and connection from interpersonal media use within a day. Study 2 (N = 1,747) examined the association between loneliness and life satisfaction as mediated by patterns of in…
Social Bandwidth: When and Why Are Social Interactions Energy Intensive
This manuscript identifies the characteristics of a social interaction or social event that make it energy intensive and explores the experience of recovering from an energy-intensive interaction. Study One ( N = 309) used an inductive approach to identify social interactions or events that were energy intensive. Study Two ( N = 120) used an experience sampling method to explore overall energy expense in everyday conversations ( N = 3,092). Commu…
Responsiveness, Social Connection, Hope, and Life Satisfaction in Everyday Social Interaction: An Experience Sampling Study
What are the specific everyday communication experiences—from across people’s social networks—that contribute to well-being? In the present work, we focus on the effects of perceived partner responsiveness in social interactions on various well-being outcomes. We hypothesized that everyday moments of responsiveness indirectly support two key estimates of well-being (hope and life satisfaction) through feelings of social connection. Data were obta…
Early relational exclusion and present-day minority stress, social anxiety, and coping responses among sexual minority men
Drawing from minority stress theory, research on ostracism, and the communication of exclusion, this study had two goals. First, we aimed to test how perceptions of early relational exclusion relate to current-day minority stress, coping strategies, and social anxiety among young sexual minority men. Second, we aimed to test the reciprocal within-person associations between present-day minority stress, coping strategies, and social anxiety over a…
Individuals' perceptions of reciprocal relationship maintenance in their marriage and its impact on communal orientation, relational load, and ability to flourish
This study investigates individuals' perceptions of reciprocal relationship maintenance in their marriage over time during the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19). Using a Qualtrics Panel, married individuals (N = 3,601) completed online surveys at four time points during the initial 3 months of the pandemic. Both the between- and within-person effects were consistent with the theory of resilience and relational load. On average, married individuals …
Relational maintenance among separated Latina/o/x/e immigrant families: Exploring the Lived Experiences of Parents and Children
Prior relational maintenance research primarily (a) considers only one family member's perspective, (b) explores introspective communication, and (c) examines romantic relationships among highly resourced white samples in the United States. This study considered low-income, Latina/o/x/e immigrant families' maintenance before, during, and after migration-related separation, using standpoint theory, social communication theory, and the long-distanc…
Psychology (26 works) · Social Psychology (19 works) · Developmental psychology (17 works) · Social Psychology (14 works) · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics (12 works) · Experience sampling method (9 works) · Social relation (8 works) · Anxiety (6 works) · Behavioral Health and Interventions (5 works) · Family Dynamics and Relationships (5 works)