Relating at a Distance: Navigating Long-distance Romantic Relationships

By: Lindsay Bailey

Why Did I Choose This Topic ?

Presentation Overview• Introduction• Behavioral maintenance strategies and

satisfaction• Maintenance and communication

strategies in LDRRs versus GCRRs• Challenges of CMC• Synthesis and further research• Conclusion

Behavioral Maintenance Strategies and Satisfaction• Satisfaction• Behavioral maintenance strategies

Five main maintenance strategiesFour additional maintenance strategies

How to Reach Satisfaction• Stafford, 2010

Adaptation• Maguire and Kinney, 2010

Maintenance focused strategies and stress

• Roberts and Pistole, 2009Attachment

LDRRs vs. GCRRs• Daiton and Aylor, 2001

GCRRs did not use more maintenance strategies

• Roberts and Pistole, 2009 LDRR attachment and frequency

• Stafford, 2010Speech event patterns

Challenges of CMC• Johnson et al., 2008

Defining CMC• Dainton and Aylor, 2002

Channels were functional alternatives• Maguire, 2007 and Merolla, 2010

Most useful form of CMC• Maguire, 2007

Using CMC and behavioral maintenance strategies• Merolla, 2010

Factors influencing communication

Synthesis and Further Research

• Behavioral maintenance strategies • Relationship satisfaction• CMC and maintenance

RQ1. Webcams, behavioral maintenance, satisfaction

H1. Satisfaction will be highly correlated with webcams and behavioral maintenance patterns will continue to show the same patterns as traditional CMC use

Conclusions• Achieve satisfaction in LDRRs• LDRRs vs. GCRRs• The most effective ways to use CMC

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Johnson, A. J., Haigh, M. M., Becker, J. A. H, Craig, E. A., & Wigley, S. (2008). College students’ use of relational management strategies in email in long-distance and geographically close relationships. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13, 381-404.

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Maguire. K. C., & Kinney, T. A. (2010). When distance is problematic: Communication, coping, and relational satisfaction in female college students’ longs-distance dating relationships. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 38, 27-46.

Roberts, A., & Pistole, M. C., (2009). Long-distance and proximal romantic relationship satisfaction: Attachment and closeness predictors. Journalof College Counseling, 12, 5-17.

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