Marianne Dainton

Measuring routine and strategic relational maintenance: Scale revision, sex versus gender roles, and the prediction of relational characteristics

In the present study, we incorporate both routine and strategic maintenance behaviors in an expanded maintenance scale. In addition, we seek to determine whether sex or gender role is a stronger predictor of maintenance behaviors, and to ascertain the extent to which maintenance predicts the relational characteristics of satisfaction, commitment, liking, and control mutuality. Data were collected from 520 married individuals. Through factor analysis, 7 maintenance items reflecting both routine and strategic enactment were identified: advice, assurances, conflict management, openness, positivity, sharing tasks, and social networks. Multiple regressions revealed that the gender role construct of femininity was the primary predictor of all 7 of these behaviors. Biological sex was a weak predictor of 2 maintenance behaviors, and was not present in the other 5 regression equations. Finally, in accordance with previous research, the use of assurances was a consistent and strong predictor of relational characteristics.

Patterns of communication channel use in the maintenance of long‐distance relationships

The present study focuses on associations between communication channel use and relational maintenance by individuals in long‐distance romantic relationships. Survey data were collected from 114 individuals in long‐distance relationships (LDRs). Results indicate that use of communication channels covaries such that there are positive relationships between the use of oral channels (face‐to‐face and telephone), positive relationships between the use of written channels (internet and letters), but negative relationships between the use of oral and written communication channels. Second, the use of each communication channel was positively associated with relational maintenance, with telephone use in particular associated with the use of relational maintenance strategies. Telephone use was also positively associated with relational commitment and satisfaction, and Internet use was positively associated with trust. Finally, amount of face‐to‐face interaction could successfully distinguish between LDR types, with individuals who have periodic face‐to‐face interaction using more maintenance and experiencing greater satisfaction and commitment than individuals in LDRs with no face‐to‐face interaction.

A relational uncertainty analysis of jealousy, trust, and maintenance in long‐distance versus geographically close relationships

This study uses an uncertainty framework to uncover the patterns of relationships between uncertainty, jealousy, maintenance, and trust in two types of long‐distance relationships (LDRs; both those without face‐to‐face contact and those with some face‐to‐face contact) and geographically close relationships (GCRs). Data were collected from 311 individuals. Results supported the hypothesized relationships, with relational uncertainty positively related to cognitive and emotional jealousy, negatively related to five maintenance behaviors, and negatively related to trust. Counter to predictions, individuals in GCRs did not experience less relational uncertainty than individuals in LDRs with some face‐to‐face contact, but those in LDRs with some face‐to‐face contact were significantly more certain of their relationships than were those in LDRs without face‐to‐face contact. Finally, individuals in long‐distance relationships with no face‐to‐face interaction were significantly less likely to use the maintenance behaviors of assurances or sharing tasks, and expressed significantly less trust than individuals in long‐distance relationships with some face‐to‐face interaction.

Maintenance Behaviors, Expectations for Maintenance, and Satisfaction: Linking Comparison Levels to Relational Maintenance Strategies

Two studies were conducted to assess the relationship between expectancy fulfillment for the partners use of relational maintenance activities and ones own satisfaction with the relationship. In Study 1, 478 people in romantic relationships completed questionnaires assessing their experience of their partners use of maintenance activities relative to their expectations for the frequency with which maintenance should be performed. As interdependence theory predicts, the more ones experience with maintenance activities exceeded expectations, the more relational satisfaction was reported. The strongest predictors of satisfaction were the extent to which the partners use of assurances and positivity exceeded ones expectations for these activities. In Study 2, 283 people in romantic relationships provided reports of their expectations for their partners use of maintenance activities, as well as their perceptions of the frequency with which their partners actually engaged in maintenance behaviors. Results indicated that individuals had higher expectations for their partners use of sharing tasks and assurances than for other maintenance behaviors. However, the perceived use of maintenance strategies was stronger in predicting relational satisfaction than were the discrepancy scores between expected and perceived use of such behaviors. Implications for an interdependence theory approach to relational maintenance are discussed.

Equity and uncertainty in relational maintenance

Two explanations for relational maintenance processes center on the constructs of equity and relationship uncertainty. The current study sought to uncover how these two explanations compare when predicting relational maintenance data. Survey data were collected from 219 individuals in romantic relationships. As predicted, both inequity and uncertainty were moderately and negatively related to the use of maintenance strategies. Further, results indicate that future, definition, and mutuality uncertainty are positively related to being underbenefitted, but that being overbenefitted is not related to any of the dimensions of relationship uncertainty. Finally, both inequity and uncertainty predict relational satisfaction as well as the frequency of maintenance enactment, but uncertainty appears to be the stronger and more consistent predictor of both. Implications for combining the two approaches are discussed.

Routine and strategic maintenance efforts: behavioral patterns, variations associated with relational length, and the prediction of relational characteristics

The goal of the present study was to examine the patterns of relationships between routine and strategic maintenance enactment. Data were collected from 189 individuals in a romantic relationship. Results indicated that positivity and sharing tasks were more often performed routinely than strategically. Second, moderate to strong, positive correlations were found among the strategic use of maintenance behaviors, and also moderate to strong, positive correlations among the routine use of maintenance behaviors. However, virtually no relationships emerged between the routine and strategic use of maintenance. Next, both strategic and routine maintenance efforts were important in predicting satisfaction and commitment, but routine maintenance was slightly more important in predicting both satisfaction and commitment. Finally, three significant, positive correlations were found between the length of the relationship and routine maintenance performance (network, conflict management, and sharing tasks), and one significant, negative correlation was found between the length of the relationship and the strategic use of openness.

The Use of Negative Behaviors to Maintain Relationships

Our goal was to uncover the negative behaviors that are used for relational maintenance purposes, using equity as a theoretical framework. Two data collections were undertaken. The first solicited potential negative maintenance behaviors. From these responses, scale items were created. Then, 151 individuals completed measures of positive and negative maintenance, equity, and satisfaction. Six negative maintenance behaviors emerged: allowing control, destructive conflict, spying, jealousy induction, avoidance, and infidelity. Results indicated mixed support for an equity theory explanation of positive and negative maintenance. However, as predicted, negative maintenance behaviors were negatively associated with relationship satisfaction, and positive maintenance behaviors were positively associated with relationship satisfaction.

Antecedents in romantic jealousy experience, expression, and goals

The present study seeks to examine biological sex, psychological gender, and relational type as antecedents in jealousy experience, expression, and goals. Data were collected from 334 individuals in romantic relationships. Results indicated that men experienced significantly more cognitive jealousy, while women were more likely to communicatively express their jealousy. Additionally, important gender differences in jealousy expression and goals were identified. Masculinity/instrumentality was positively associated with antisocial responses to jealousy, including distributive communication, signs of possession, violence, contacting the rival, and manipulation. Femininity/expressiveness was positively associated with the prosocial response of integrative communication, and negatively associated with antisocial responses of distributive communication, active distancing, avoidance, violent communication, threats, and manipulation. The study also compared the predictive ability of sex and gender in jealousy experience and expression. Sex was the superior predictor of cognitive jealousy experience, while gender was the superior predictor for three communicative responses to jealousy. Finally, relational type influenced jealousy expression and experience. Married individuals experienced and expressed the least jealousy, while casual daters experienced more cognitive jealousy than serious daters. Implications for future jealousy theory and research are discussed.

Maintaining Relationships on Facebook: Associations with Uncertainty, Jealousy, and Satisfaction

Existing research suggests that social networking sites (SNSs) allow romantic partners to maintain their relationships online. This study examined how relational maintenance behaviors associated with Facebook (FB) use were predicted by satisfaction, uncertainty, and FB jealousy. A survey was conducted sampling 281 undergraduates in a romantic relationship where both partners were active users of FB. The results revealed that when partners (a) perceived mutual and definitional uncertainty in their relationship they used more FB monitoring to maintain their relationship; (b) when partners reported future and definitional certainty they used more FB assurances and openness; (c) when partners experienced FB jealousy they used more FB positivity, openness, assurances, and monitoring; and (d) when partners were satisfied they used more FB positivity and assurances.

Everyday interaction in marital relationships: Variations in relative importance and event duration

This study takes an insiders perspective to develop a descriptive map of the types of interactions enacted on an everyday basis in intact marriages. Data were gathered from 55 married couples, who kept logs of all of their dyadic interactions over a 7‐day period. Overall, the results indicate that the most frequently described interactions involved multiple activities (i.e., talking while eating dinner), with affectionate and talk‐based interactions the next most frequent interactional types. Participants viewed the expression of affection as the most important interactional type affecting their relationships. Respondents spent, on average, 5.47 hours in dyadic interaction per day, and they engaged in leisure interactions for longer periods of time than other interactional types.