Parent-Child Closeness and Coping Outcomes in Emerging Adulthood

Parents continue to play a pivotal role in their children’s social and emotional adjustment into emerging adulthood (Mounts et al., 2006). This project examined the effect of parent-emerging adult closeness on emerging adult coping responses, and whether this association varied as a function of parent-child contact. The sample consisted of 180 undergraduate students (M age = 19.6, SD = 1.05, 78% female) from the University of Vermont. Participants reported on their closeness with their parent(s), their coping responses, and their patterns of contact with their parent(s). As predicted, parent-emerging adult closeness was predictive of emerging adults’ coping responses. The relationship was not, however, moderated by mode or frequency of communication. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed

Constant connection: College students’ smartphones attachment and close relationship attachments across domains

This study aims to conceptualize the way individuals, more notably college students and emerging adults, use their smartphones, applying an attachment framework. Recently, research has shifted from using vocabulary akin to addiction, and researchers are beginning to see similarities and consistencies in how individuals relate to their phones and how attachment was originally conceptualized in the infant-mother relationship. Moreover, research is moving away from considering attachment as categorical, and is instead considering it continuous, and as varying in domains from individual to individual. This research used a new assessment tool (the YAPS) to assess college students’ attachment to phones, their important relationship attachments (ECR-RS) and their perceived relationship quality (PRQC). Research found that though many important relationship domains, notably parents, were related to smartphone attachment; however, there was no relationship between smartphone attachment and perceived relationship quality or its constructs. Future research should aim to validate the biological attachment between humans and smartphones, as well as tease out any impact smartphones and our attachments to them may have on relationships and our perception and threshold of intimacy

The Relationship between use of Technology and Parent- Adolescents Social Relationship

Today’s adolescents have unprecedented access to modern technology and use them in expected and unexpected ways. Adolescents spend many hours a day using the technology, and the vast majority of them have access to Internet, cell phones, smart phone, video games and many other forms of modern technology. With the increased role of modern technology in the adolescents’ lives has come the increased concern about how adolescents might be affected. This may take them away from important social interactions that develop in-person relationships. A good parent-teen relationship is important for adolescent health and development. The more time spent on television, computers, cell phone and video games leads to a lower quality of attachment to parents. This descriptive correlation study was aimed to investigate the relationship between adolescents' use of technology and their parent' social relationship. The study was conducted on randomly selected Preparatory and Secondary Schools from two governorates, Egypt. The data was collected during the first term of academic year 2015/2016. The participants for this study were 230 students (92 boys and 138 girls), with their ages ranging from 12 to 18 years. The self-report questionnaire sheet was developed by the researchers. The study concluded that there was a highly statistical correlation between adolescents' technology usage and social interaction with their parents. The study recommended that Parents need to educate themselves about social media and the ways their teens may use it, as well as the common risks, to help them understand and navigate the technologies. Moreover, parents' discussions are positive for teens and can result in less risky online behaviors. Future researches are needed to consider interviewing both parent and child together at the same time to get both parties’ perspectives on the same issues discussed. Key Wards: Technology, Parent, Adolescents, Teen age, Youth, Social Relationship

Smartphones

Many of the research approaches to smartphones actually regard them as more or less transparent points of access to other kinds of communication experiences. That is, rather than considering the smartphone as something in itself, the researchers look at how individuals use the smartphone for their communicative purposes, whether these be talking, surfing the web, using on-line data access for off-site data sources, downloading or uploading materials, or any kind of interaction with social media. They focus not so much on the smartphone itself but on the activities that people engage in with their smartphones

How technology interacts with emerging adulthood psychosocial developmental tasks: An examination of online self-presentation and cell phone usage

This dissertation outlines three distinct, yet interrelated, projects aimed at understanding the role of technology in relation to emerging adulthood developmental tasks: individuation & identity development. The first paper provides a context for understanding the developmental tasks of emerging adulthood, and the role that technology may serve in relation to those developmental tasks. This brief review of the literature on emerging adulthood developmental tasks provides a solid theoretical background and history for the theoretical premises proposed for the respective studies included in this dissertation. The second project is an empirical investigation that seeks to understand how the task of identity development may be related to online self-presentation, indicated by rates of profile picture cycling. The third project is a second empirical investigation that seeks to understand how the developmental task of individuation may be related to cell phone communication with parents. Final comments and integrated thoughts are provided to clarify the parallels between what we already know about emerging adulthood tasks, and how these tasks are being manifested via social media outlets and cell phone usage

Duration of Adolescent Technology Use and Closeness with Parents

Adolescents are one of the heaviest users of technology as a group. With the ever increasing amount of time teenagers spend on cell-phones, computers and numerous types of video games, their attention is absorbed by these devices. This may take away from important social interactions that develop in-person relationships. One study from 2004 suggests that more time spent on television, computers and video games leads to a lower quality of attachment to parents. A good parent-teen relationship is important for adolescent health and development. Although there have been no recent experiments on how adolescents' wide use of different types technology affects their relationship with parents, there are indications that electronic communication may be reinforcing teenagers' peer relationships at the expense of relationship with their parents. This study examined the relationship between duration of adolescents' technology use and the relationship with their parents. Three types of technology were considered, namely, computers, cell phones and video games. Self-report questionnaires were filled out by 63 teenagers (ages 14 to 18) from a high school in Bronx, NY. A statistically significant negative correlation was found between duration of computer use and closeness to parent supported by Pearson's correlation coefficient, r(58) = -0.263. However, there were no significant correlations found for any of the other types of technology considered. These findings are attributed to the fact adolescents more commonly use cell phones than the internet to maintain a good relationship with their parents. Therefore, it is possible that cell phones aid parent-teen closeness as it allows them to stay in touch when they are not together. Also, most adolescents reported spending relatively little time playing video games. That may be why video games did not impact their relationship with parents

Adolescents problematic mobile phone use, Fear of Missing Out and family communication / Uso problemático del móvil, fobia a sentirse excluido y comunicación familiar de los adolescentes

This research analyzes the problematic use of mobile phone, the phenomenon of fear of missing Out (FoMO) and the communication between parents and children in students who attend secondary education in public and private centers of the regions of Canary Islands, Balearic Islands and Valencia. The research involved 569 students aged between 12 and 19 years. The instruments used were the «Mobil phone related experiences questionnaire», the Spanish adaptation of the «Fear of missing out questionnaire» and the communication dimension with parents of the «Parents and peers attachment inventory». The results show that: 1) An increased problematic use of the mobile phone is associated with a higher level of FoMO; 2) The students who frequently use the mobile phone and communicate more with their friends have a higher average score in the «Mobile phone related experiences questionnaire» and in the «Fear of missing out questionnaire»; 3) The students that use the mobile phone for less time has a greater communication with fathers and mothers. We discuss the relevance of the study of FoMO and parents-children communication as factors that affect the problematic use of mobile phone in young people. Centers’ guidance teams, families and teachers have to create a common learning space to promote the responsible use of mobile phone

Examining the relationship among physical and psychological health, parent and peer attachment, and cyberbullying in adolescents in urban and suburban environments

Cyberbullying is a new phenomenon that has received substantial attention via media. An extensive review of the literature revealed limited nursing research on this topic. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of cyberbullying on adolescents\u27 physical (e.g., headache, stomachache, etc.) and psychosocial (e.g., self-esteem, depression, post traumatic stress syndrome, etc.) outcomes. Individuals who experience repeated traditional bullying are at increased risk for experiencing repeated incidents of cyberbullying. Research has shown that effects of cyberbullying may be more traumatic than traditional bullying because victims can be bullied 24 hours and 7 days a week, on and off school property. A total of 367 adolescents aged 10 to 18 years of age (50.4% females and 49.6 males) in 4th through 12th grades participated in the study. A community-based approach was used to recruit students and collect data from charter schools, recreational centers, church youth groups, and a community organization. Five instruments (The Student Survey; Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment; Depression Self-rating Scale; Children\u27s Somatization Inventory, and a short demographic survey) were used to collect data on the dependent and independent variables. Data analysis used the IBM-SPSS (ver. 19.0) and included chi-square tests for independence, Pearson product moment correlations, logistic regression, and stepwise multiple linear regression analysis. Data analysis revealed that adolescents from urban and suburban areas are similar in their views of what constitutes cyberbullying and the emotions that are associated with cyberbullying. Adolescents are more likely to view cyberbullying activities more seriously if they are closely attached to their peers and parents. The results also revealed that adolescents may be less likely to report cyberbullying incidents. Physical and mental health did not appear to be problematic for these students. Given the pervasiveness of cyberbullying among adolescents, nurses are in a key position to address cyberbullying through the use of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. Nurses have a complete understanding of important health issues related to bullying behaviors and receive training on how to deal with these behaviors. The paucity of research studies regarding cyberbullying and health outcomes support the need for additional exploration of this topic

Romantic Relationship Quality and Technological Communication: Examining the Roles of Attachment Representations and Rejection Sensitivity

Understanding normative developmental patterns in romantic relationships within cultural-historical contexts is a vital research agenda, and contemporary relationships develop amid pervasive socio-technological advancements. The role of technology in relationship functioning is relevant as romantic relationships are among the most important types of relationships and technology may substitute proximity, a core imperative of the attachment system. This study described patterns of computer-mediated communication (CMC) in young adult romantic relationships. Specifically, we hypothesized that core relational and personality constructs were linked to participants’ interpretations and reactions to CMC. Participants were 97 college students who provided global scores for rejection sensitivity, attachment representations, relationship satisfaction, and data about CMC with their romantic partner. Participants were prompted twice daily for two weeks to respond to questions assessing the nature and reaction to their most recent CMC with their romantic partner. Participants used texting more than any other CMC and communicated with romantic partners more than all others combined. Participants’ high relationship and communication satisfaction remained relatively constant. The 97 participants completed 1,616 mobile responses. Reported response latency was higher for men than women. Significant negative correlations emerged between interaction ratings, rejection sensitivity, and both insecure attachment dimensions. Regression analyses revealed only main effects for response latency and insecure attachment in predicting interaction ratings for women. No significant interactions emerged between response latency and attachment/response latency. For men, insecure attachment representations and rejection sensitivity demonstrated direct effects on interaction ratings. Avoidant attachment and response latency demonstrated a statistically significant interaction. Response latency and the interaction rating were negatively related only for men who scored low in avoidance. This study contributes to the body of literature assessing outcomes and qualities of romantic relationships in emerging adulthood. Technological communication is a key feature of young couples’ communication and appears more prevalent in romantic relationships than other relationships. Additionally, core relational and personality characteristics are substantially correlated to interpretations of momentto- moment interactions via technology