Modern romance: The impact of mobile mediated communication and romantic attachment on relationship satisfaction

Ever advancing cell phone technology is changing how individuals communicate in romantic relationships. Adult romantic attachment impacts individuals' communication and satisfaction in romantic relationships. The present study provides greater scientific understanding of the modern romantic relationship by focusing on mobile medicated communication, cell phone communication, and attachment. This study investigated the relationships between adult romantic attachment, relationship satisfaction, and four major forms of mobile mediated communication (MMC), text messaging, emailing, sexting, and social networking among adults 18- to 49-years-old in committed, monogamous romantic relationships for at least one year.;This quantitative, cross-sectional study took place online and utilized anonymous self-report measures. In a randomized order, 270 participants completed questionnaires assessing participant demographic variables, MMC frequency, sexting attitudes, adult romantic attachment, and relationship satisfaction in the context of their current romantic relationships. Bivariate correlation and regression and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted in order analyze the relationships between these variables. The majority of participants were between 25- and 34-years-old (75%) and Caucasian (70%), and the average length of romantic relationship was five and a half years.;Findings indicated that for the modern couple, MMC between partners is important for relationship satisfaction, as there was a positive relationships between MMC and satisfaction. Although MMC was important to relationship satisfaction, adult romantic attachment was found to account for unique variance in relationship satisfaction above and beyond MMC and gender. As predicted, attachment avoidance was related to decreased MMC frequency and relationship satisfaction. However, in contrast to previous research, attachment anxiety was positively related to relationship satisfaction. Participants with greater attachment anxiety were in less committed romantic relationships and reported receiving a higher frequency of sexts from their partners, which may have in part contributed to this finding.;Greater attachment insecurity was also significantly related to higher frequencies of sexting. Specifically, participants with greater attachment avoidance reported sending more sexts, and those with greater attachment anxiety reported receiving more sexts. Individuals with greater attachment insecurity also reported believing sexting was expected in their relationships, and greater attachment anxiety was related to perceiving sexting as risky. These findings seem to be consistent with previous research on adult romantic attachment and sexual behavior. Other implications and future directions were also discussed.