Tricia J. Burke

Examining diet- and exercise-related communication in romantic relationships: associations with health behaviors.

This study examined the association between diet- and exercise-related social influence and support among romantic partners, as well as whether these variables were associated with their health behaviors. An Actor-Partner Mediator Model was used to examine these associations at the couple level (n = 192). Results indicated that individuals who felt their partners used more positive influence strategies also reported feeling more supported by their partners. Further, men who reported feeling more supported by their partners also engaged in healthier diet and exercise behaviors. Overall, the results suggested that people’s perceptions of positive communication (i.e., influence and support) from their partners were generally more likely to be associated with their enactment of healthier behaviors. Implications for intrapersonal as well as interpersonal effects of influence, support, and health behaviors are discussed.

Weight-Related Social Control in Couples Associations With Motives, Constraints, and Health Behaviors

The social control framework and multiple goals perspective were used to investigate couples’ (N = 192) diet- and exercise-related social control communication. Actor-Partner Interdependence Models (APIMs) were used to examine couples’ use of positive and negative social control in association with (a) their specific motives for using social control and (b) constraints against using social control. In line with a multiple goals framework, partners employ different social control strategies as a function of their distinct motives, and couples appear to consider secondary goals when communicating social control in their relationship. Together, these results suggest that individuals are aware of the need to balance their desire for their partners to be physically healthy with their desire to maintain their relationship.

Relational Sacrifices about Intimate Behavior and Relationship Quality for Expectant Cohabitors

ABSTRACT Using interdependence theory, we examined how relational sacrifices specific to intimacy were associated with positive (commitment, satisfaction, love, and maintenance) and negative (ambivalence and conflict) relationship quality among expectant, unmarried cohabitors (n = 69 individuals), because this group may struggle relationally. We examined how often individuals made sacrifices for their partners and their partners’ perceived awareness of their sacrifices (i.e., individuals’ perceptions that their partners are aware that intimate sacrifices had been made for them) for both members of the couple using Actor Partner Independence Models. We controlled for children from previous relationships, unplanned pregnancy, gender, education, and race/ethnicity. Results showed that frequency of intimate sacrifices was not associated with any aspects of relationship quality. Instead, as expected, perceived partner awareness of intimate sacrifice was associated with greater commitment, satisfaction, love, and maintenance for individuals; lower ambivalence for individuals; and lower conflict for both individuals and their partners. These results suggest that for expectant cohabitors, perceived partner awareness of intimate sacrifices is central to achieving more positive, and less negative, relationship quality.

Moving Away and Reaching Out: Young Adults’ Relational Maintenance and Psychosocial Well-Being During the Transition to College

ABSTRACT In this study, we extended the research on students’ stress and psychosocial well-being during the transition to college to consider the potential moderating effect of their communication of relational maintenance with a parent. We found that as students’ (N = 155) daily stress increased, their daily loneliness and depression increased, and their daily happiness decreased. Moreover, we identified students’ daily communication of openness and assurances with a parent as moderators of the association between their daily stress and daily loneliness. These results suggest that students’ communication with a parent is a salient factor in their well-being during the transition to college.

Facebook Self-Presentational Motives: Daily Effects on Social Anxiety and Interaction Success

Using self-presentation theory as the framework, this research examined whether individuals’ social anxiety and interaction success were associated with their Facebook-specific self-presentation motives and their social competence. Specifically, social competence was examined as a moderator of the association between peoples daily Facebook self-presentational motives—either their motivation to convey a positive (i.e., socially desirable) impression or their concern with conveying a negative impression—and either their daily (a) social anxiety or (b) interaction success. Multilevel models were used to analyze these daily associations. Results indicated that people reported greater interaction success on days when they reported greater positive Facebook self-presentation motivation and less negative Facebook self-presentation concern in conjunction with less social competence. Moreover, people reported greater negative Facebook self-presentation concerns on the day following reports of high social anxiety. These results illustrate an iterative process occurring between anxiety, Facebook self-presentation motivation, and interaction success.

Channel complementarity and multiplexity in long-distance friends’ patterns of communication technology use

Understanding how people use communication technologies (CTs) in close relationships requires examining interdependencies in or patterns of CT use in those relationships. We combined channel complementarity theory and media multiplexity theory to investigate first-year college students’ (N = 155) use of CTs (video chat, phone calls, and text messaging) in close, long-distance friendships over a 3- to 10-day period. Overall, CTs were used complementarily. However, complementary use of phone calls and text messaging was higher in closer friendships. In contrast, phone calls and video chat were complementary at low but not high levels of closeness. These findings suggest utility in combining channel complementarity theory and media multiplexity theory to understand the “web” of CTs used in daily communication in long-distance friendships and point to similarities in and differences between CTs that might affect complementarity.

For Better or For Work: Dual Discourses in a Workplace Wellness Program

Despite the ubiquity of workplace health promotion (WHP) programs, research has yet to address how employees make sense of the various meanings surrounding free wellness time at work. Through interviews with 30 participants of a workplace wellness program, this study uncovered organizational and employee discourses surrounding health at work. In sharing their health narratives, employees drew on dual discourses, expressing multiple meanings in the program’s rationale, workers’ participation, and the results of workplace health initiatives. Our findings contribute to WHP literature by proposing workplace wellness programs as a site of struggle, drawing attention to the role of agency in WHP participation, extending managerialism in WHP outside the corporate setting, and connecting workplace wellness scholarship to the meaning of work and work–family policy research.

Young adult and parent perceptions of facilitation: Associations with overparenting, family functioning, and student adjustment

ABSTRACT Overparenting occurs when parents engage in developmentally inappropriate involvement in their children’s lives. This topic is salient in the context of young adults attending college, as this developmental stage necessitates independent decision-making and adjustment on the part of these students. At the same time, the turbulence involved in this transition might engender parental interference and facilitation that could impact young adults’ adjustment and perceived family functioning. This study used structural equation modeling to examine overparenting, perceived interference, facilitation, student adjustment, and family functioning in 302 parent–young adult dyads. Results indicated that overparenting was associated with facilitation, but not interference. Whereas this association was negative for young adults, it was positive for parents. This pattern was also reflected in the indirect effects of overparenting on student adjustment through young adults’ versus parents’ perceived facilitation. Young adults appear to have better outcomes when they perceive their parents to be facilitating their goals.

The Paradoxical Outcomes of Observing Others’ Exercise Behavior on Social Network Sites: Friends’ Exercise Posts, Exercise Attitudes, and Weight Concern

ABSTRACT This study examined the implications of observing others’ exercise behavior on social network sites (SNSs). Social cognitive theory and social comparison theory were used to make predictions about the conditions under which individuals’ (N = 232) exposure to exercise-related SNS posts from others in their social network were related to their weight concerns and exercise attitudes. The results revealed a paradox in which observing others’ exercise posts was associated with both adaptive and maladaptive responses. The number of exercise-related SNS posts received from members of respondents’ social networks was associated with greater weight concern, and this relationship was stronger among respondents who viewed exercise-related posts from network members who were similar to respondents. Yet, among respondents who had a tendency to make appearance-related upward social comparisons, the number of others’ exercise-related SNS posts received was associated with pro-exercise attitudes.

Let’s work out: communication in workplace wellness programs

Purpose People spend a lot of time communicating with their co-workers each day; however, research has yet to explore how colleagues influence each other’s health behaviors. The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between health-related communication and health behaviors among co-workers in a workplace wellness program. Design/methodology/approach Participants (n=169) were recruited from a large south-western university and its local school district through e-mail announcements sent from a wellness administrator. Participants were part of a workplace wellness program that offers several daily group fitness classes, as well as cooking classes, and other educational programs for faculty and staff. Findings Structural equation modeling was used to examine the association between people’s perceived social influence and social support from co-workers, organizational socialization and their health behaviors. Results indicated that perceived social influence from co-workers had an indirect effect on people’s health behaviors through their perceived social support from their co-workers, as well as through their organizational socialization. Research limitations/implications These variables were examined cross-sectionally, meaning that causal relationships and directionality cannot be determined in this study. Practical implications Co-worker communication and socialization appear to be important factors in understanding individuals’ health behaviors; thus, organizations that offer workplace wellness programs should provide opportunities for socialization and co-worker communication to facilitate employees’ healthy behaviors. Originality/value Although the authors only looked at one wellness program and did not examine these variables in programs of varying sizes and types, this study uniquely incorporates interpersonal and organizational communication perspectives in order to give new insight into co-workers’ health-related communication.