Perceived partner phubbing predicts lower relationship quality but partners’ enacted phubbing does not

Abstract

Perceptions of partner phubbing can be detrimental for romantic relationship functioning. However, research does not typically focus on couple members’ reports of their own phubbing behavior and how this relates to relationship functioning. Our aim was to examine both perceptions of partner phubbing and reports of one’s own enacted phubbing behavior in a dyadic diary dataset to better specify their effects on relationship functioning at the daily level and two months later. The role of attachment was also examined. Daily perceived phubbing was associated with lower relationship quality; however, these effects did not hold two months later. Importantly, actors’ and partners’ enacted phubbing was unrelated to relationship quality both daily and two months later. Attachment anxiety and avoidance moderated the above results, although the directions of these effects were not always consistent across models or with previous findings or theorizing. Future research is needed to untangle if and how attachment orientations are reliably linked to phubbing. Together our results suggest that perceptions about partner’s phubbing are more important than partners’ actual phubbing behavior. Future research should appraise the potential of targeting phubbing perceptions to improve relationship functioning.

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ORCID for Katherine B. Carnelley: orcid.org/0000-0003-4064-8576

ORCID for Claire M. Hart: orcid.org/0000-0003-2175-2474

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