INVESTIGATING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL MEDIA USE, JEALOUSY & ATTACHMENT STYLES IN ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS OF YOUNG COUPLES

Abstract

The triad of Social Media Use, Jealousy and Attachment Styles is an important topic of study in times where social media has become a norm for communication especially in romantic relationships. The current research highlights the relationship between the above-mentioned variables and the gender differences were further explored. A total of 200 participants took part in the study (M=100, F=100) in the age range of 18-26 years and have been in a relationship for at least 6 months. For data collection; The Social Media Use Scale (Tuck & Thompson, 2023); The Multidimensional Jealousy Scale (Pfeiffer & Wong, 1989) and Revised Adult Attachment Scale (Collins, 1996) was used. Statistical analysis was done with the help of Spearman’s Rank Correlation and Mann Whitney-U test. The results revealed a moderate positive relationship between Social Media Use and Jealousy including Behavioural dimensions, weak positive relation between Social Media Use and Cognitive and Emotional Jealousy. Social Media Use revealed a moderate positive relationship with Attachment Anxiety and a weak positive relation with Attachment Avoidance. Jealousy inclusive of Cognitive and Behavioural Jealousy indicated a significant positive correlation with Attachment Anxiety, while Emotional Jealousy showed a weak positive association. Attachment Avoidance revealed a weak positive relation with all the dimensions of jealousy. Gender differences were insignificant in Social Media Use, Attachment Styles and Emotional dimension of Jealousy. While significant gender differences were observed in Jealousy including Cognitive and Behavioural dimension. The results of the study can be implicated in understanding the functioning of romantic relationships in modern times and be used for resolution of conflicts in a cohesive manner.