Document Type
Poster Presentation
Start Date
19-4-2019 9:15 AM
End Date
19-4-2019 10:30 AM
Keywords
social media, stress, relationships
Biography
We are a group comprised of predominantly psychology undergraduates, along with one psychology graduate student. This project began in our Experimental Psychology course last fall, when we decided to conduct a study on stress levels in college students. Our focus was on the effect of social media on relationships compared to several other traditional stressors.
Major
Psychology
Advisor for this project
Chris LeGrow
Abstract
Couples involved in a romantic relationships (dating, engaged, married) face a variety of stressors that can determine the quality and sustainability of the relationship. These stressors can include money, children, work schedules, and opinions of family and friends about the relationship or one’s significant other. With arrival of the internet, the use of social media has become a new source of stress among relationships. Altshule (2015) found social media use negatively impacts a relationship when one’s significant other is always on social media, engages in appropriate activity online, or is overly private when online (i.e. hiding online activity from their partner). Bea (2012) found that having a significant other who shares too much information about the relationship online, maintains contact with an ex (e.g. tagging, messaging, accepting a friend request), or who suspiciously monitors the online activity of his/her significant other can negatively affect a romantic relationship. Fritz (2015) found sending tweets to friends or followers of the opposite sex can create a source of stress within a romantic relationship. A four part survey was presented to participants, aimed at examining the relatively new stressor (social media) compared to more traditional stressors in relationships. The survey was provided to college students that were members of the Marshall University Psychology Department Human Subjects Pool (SONA).
Relationship Stress: Social Media Edition
Couples involved in a romantic relationships (dating, engaged, married) face a variety of stressors that can determine the quality and sustainability of the relationship. These stressors can include money, children, work schedules, and opinions of family and friends about the relationship or one’s significant other. With arrival of the internet, the use of social media has become a new source of stress among relationships. Altshule (2015) found social media use negatively impacts a relationship when one’s significant other is always on social media, engages in appropriate activity online, or is overly private when online (i.e. hiding online activity from their partner). Bea (2012) found that having a significant other who shares too much information about the relationship online, maintains contact with an ex (e.g. tagging, messaging, accepting a friend request), or who suspiciously monitors the online activity of his/her significant other can negatively affect a romantic relationship. Fritz (2015) found sending tweets to friends or followers of the opposite sex can create a source of stress within a romantic relationship. A four part survey was presented to participants, aimed at examining the relatively new stressor (social media) compared to more traditional stressors in relationships. The survey was provided to college students that were members of the Marshall University Psychology Department Human Subjects Pool (SONA).
