Parasocial romantic relationships, romantic beliefs, and relationship outcomes in USA adolescents: rehearsing love or setting oneself up to fail?

Abstract

The study examines the associations between adolescents’ emotional and physical aspects of parasocial romantic relationships with media figures, idealized romantic beliefs, perceptions of a current dating partner, and relationship satisfaction. A two-study design included concurrent data from 153 adolescents ages 13–17 (55.6% female), and retrospective data from 274 college students ages 18–22 (79.8% female). Across both samples, emotional involvement in a PSRR was related to more idealized romantic beliefs. The intensity of emotional involvement with the media figure during adolescence was associated with lower relationship satisfaction and less favorable perceptions of a current romantic partner in college students. However, there were no significant associations between physical attraction to the media figure and relationship outcomes.

Keywords:

• Parasocial relationships
• romantic relationships
• adolescents
• media effects

Notes

1. Similarly, for the PSRR sub-sample (F(8,94) = 2.95, p < .01, R ² = .20) there was no relationship between physical attraction and participants’ romantic beliefs (β = .07, B = .06, S.E. = .09, t = .68, p = .50). However, the emotional involvement with the media figure was positively associated with idealized romantic beliefs (β = .32, B = .17, S.E. = .05, t = 3.19, p < .01).

2. Nearly identical results were obtained for the PSRR sub-sample (F(7,117) = 2.71, p < .05, R ² = .14). Emotional was positively associated (β = .30, B = .19, S.E. = .06, t = 2.99, p < .01) and physical attraction was marginally negatively associated (β = −-.20, B = −.23, S.E. = .11, t = −1.99, p = .05) with romantic beliefs.

3. Similar results were obtained for a subsample with no PSRR. For predicting current relationship satisfaction (F(7,40)  = 2.69, p < .05, R ² = .32), there was no relationship between physical attraction to the media figure on current relationship satisfaction (direct: B = .01, S.E. = .15, t = .07, p = .94, C.I. [−.29, .31]; marginal indirect effect: B = .14, S.E. = .08, t = 1.73, p = .08, C.I. [.01, .37]; total: B = .15, S.E.  = .14, t = 1.05, p = .30, C.I. [−.14, .44]). Emotional PSRR were negatively associated with satisfaction (direct: B = −.18, S.E.  = .09, t = −2.05, p < .05, C.I. [−.36, −.002]; indirect: B = −.06, S.E. = .04, z = −1.35, p = .18), however the bootsrap C.I. do not overlap with zero [−.19, −.001]; total (B = −.24, S.E. = .09, t = −2.64, p < .05, C.I. [−.42, −.06]).

4. Similar procedures were performed to examine the relationships between PSRR and perception of the current romantic partner (F(7,56) = 2.89, p < .05, R ² = .33). Physical PSRR were not associated the outcome (direct: B = .13, S.E. = .21, t = .67, p = .51, C.I. [−.28, .55]; indirect: B = .07, S.E. = .09, z = .78, p fo = .43, C.I. [−.08, .33]); total: B = .21, S.E. = .19, t = 1.11, p = .27, C.I. [−.17, .59]). Emotional PSRRs was negatively associated with perception of the current romantic partner (direct: B = .30, S.E. = .12, t = -2.40, p < .05, C.I. [−.55, −.05]; indirect: B = −.03, S.E. = .04, z = −.70, p = .49, C.I. [−.19, .01]; total: B = −.33, S.E. = .12, t = −2.75, p < .01, C.I. [−.57, −.09]).