Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Brent Robbins

Abstract

AbstractCurrent marital and social media research has revealed that married couples are often unsuspecting of the negative marital ramifications associated with impulsive disclosure to Facebook friends, poor disclosure boundaries, and inappropriate online emotional affairs until the affair has been revealed and the emotional detachment has already incited a legal divorce. The purpose of this study was to examine the correlation, if any, between online intimate disclosure with another sex, online disclosure boundaries, and marital quality among Facebook users. The theoretical framework for this study was the social penetration theory. A quantitative, nonexperimental correlational research design was used. A total of 165 online questionnaires were collected via Facebook and the Walden Participant Pool. The findings revealed a statistically significant relationship between online intimate disclosure with another sex (emotional online infidelity) and marital quality. In line with current literature, there was a positive correlation between online disclosure boundaries (netiquette) and marital quality. However, the relationship was not strong enough for online disclosure boundaries (netiquette) to be considered a significant contributor to the marital quality of heterosexual married Facebook users. The study findings may lead to positive social change by educating those in the field of psychology, particularly those who specialize in marriage and family therapy, on the importance of conceptualizing spouses’ psychological response to the discovery of a Facebook affair as a multilayered, trauma-based clinical issue. Using study findings, counselors may be to develop interventions that help heterosexual married individuals to better navigate sharing of personal details on Facebook, which may improve their marital satisfaction.

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