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Studies have explored intercultural couples (a relationship in which two individuals are from different cultures (Fonseca et al., 2021 (See CR19); Shenhav et al., 2017 (See CR19)) over the past several decades. However, these studies have primarily focused on interracial relationships, rather than intercultural relationships despite calls from researchers. Therefore, the goal of this study is to understand the experiences of being in an intercultural relationship and identify what factors are associated with relationship quality for individuals in intercultural relationships. This mixed-methods study was conducted in two phases. Phase one involved interviewing individuals on Zoom who experienced an intercultural relationship (N = 14). Phase two involved participants who had ever been or are currently in an intercultural relationship completing an online survey (N = 85). Reflexive thematic analyses from phase one revealed that participants' identities changed as a result of acculturation, assimilation, diversifying perspectives, and cultural orientation. Example conflicts in these relationships included parental conflict, interpersonal value differences, cultural inflexibility, and family culture. Approaches to conflict included focusing on the cultural topic, being open-minded, adjusting, respecting boundaries, and dismissing conflict. Correlation and regression analyses from phase two revealed that approval from parents and friends were associated with higher relationship quality, whereas conflict about cultural differences was related to declines in relationship quality. Implications for intercultural relationships are discussed.

The body image satisfaction of Black American women is at risk of declining due to Instagram engagement, as studies have shown that using this social media platform has been linked to body image concerns. Using sociocultural theory and the social media “teleco-presence” theory of identity, the goal of this study is to examine the mediating effect of body ideals on the relationship between Instagram engagement and body image satisfaction for African American emerging adult women. Quantitative data was collected from participants using Amazon MTurk (N = 101). Data was analyzed using SPSS Process Macro with bootstrapping. Results revealed that the path from Instagram engagement to body ideals was negative and statistically significant; the path from Instagram engagement to body image satisfaction was positive and significant; the path from body ideals to body image satisfaction was negative and statistically significant; and the indirect effect was statistically significant. Results illustrate that Instagram engagement predicts increases in body image satisfaction and is partially mediated by the internalization of body ideals among emerging adult Black American women. Implications for social media use are discussed.

The Talk More, Tech Less program was developed to promote healthier technology habits through a 30-day series of daily activities and reflections. This pilot study examined the short-term effectiveness of this program in improving mobile media habits. In Study 1, 30 participants who had already participated in the program completed post-program surveys reporting weekly device use before and after the program, rating their regulation skills (1–7), and offering feedback. Average self-reported weekly device use dropped from 26.02 to 15.93 h (p < 0.001), and self-regulation significantly improved (p < 0.05). Study 2, conducted during the 2025 Lenten season with 39 participants (66.7% female), used pre/post assessments and weekly surveys to track device use, mental health, and family rapport. The objective smartphone use captured by screenshots showed declines of 118 min on average (p < 0.001), with reductions in anxiety, stress, and depressive symptoms, alongside gains in regulation skills and confidence. Thematic coding reliability analysis showed participants valued the daily activity cards and increased awareness of their tech habits. Preliminary findings suggest that intentional reflection on technology use can reduce screen time, improve well-being, and strengthen family connections, offering a model for future healthy technology initiatives. The lack of diversity and control group, as well as the time period in which the program was administered, are limitations that future studies can address.

A romantic trajectory that has received little attention in the literature is “situationships,” which is a colloquial term used in some Western cultures to describe a complex relationship situation. According to Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love, experiences of companionate and/or consummate love are often preceded by romantic love. However, situationships may be experiences of romantic love, without increases in commitment. The goal of this study is to describe situationships using a mixed-methods, exploratory approach. The first phase of this study involved 28 participants in one-on-one, semi-structured Zoom interviews regarding their entire relationship history, and then identifying if any of these experiences were situationships. For the second phase, 261 participants completed an online survey regarding their three most recent relationship experiences. The goal of the first phase (qualitative analyses) was to define situationships and describe how these relationships were different from other relationships. The goal of the second phase (quantitative analyses) was to differentiate situationships from non-situationships using empirical data based on results from the first phase of the study. Using reflexive thematic analyses, situationships were defined as romantic relationships with no clarity or label, low levels of commitment, but similar romantic behaviors as established couples by means of affection and sexual behaviors and time spent together. Independent samples t-tests using Bonferroni corrections provided some support for the prescribed definition as there were significant differences regarding relationship quality and similarities regarding affectionate and sexual behaviors between situationships and non-situationships. These results reflect that people in a situationship are, for the most part, emotionally and sexually invested even if they are not in a fully committed relationship.

Using the Leader–Member Exchange theory, the goal of this study is to test the relationship between supervisor phubbing and supervisor–employee rapport in the context of part-time jobs. Data for this quantitative investigation come from 211 participants who completed an online survey regarding frequency of supervisor phubbing and their rapport with supervisors for their last three part-time jobs, if applicable. The results from regression analyses revealed that supervisor phubbing negatively predicted supervisor–employee rapport for participants’ first and second part-time jobs, even when controlling for length of time working, frequency of communicating with supervisor, and amount of technology use by supervisor and employee. These findings imply that even limited interactions, when disrupted by mobile phone use, can hinder part-time employees’ relationships with their supervisors and employee engagement.

Responding to a perceived decline in social capital in America, sociologists Oldenburg and Brissett offer the third place as a solution. While traditionally defined as social gathering places in the physical environment, recent studies have demonstrated that virtual environments may also serve as third places. This study analyzes the social media website Facebook to identify current socializing patterns. The goals of the present study are twofold: 1) to examine the characteristics of third places in virtual contexts as evidenced in existing literature and 2) to identify new third place characteristics that illustrate the evolution of third place characteristics using Facebook as a model. Findings provide support for updating third place characteristics in order to encompass both virtual and physical environments. Results reinforce the idea that present-day socializing trends better represent a different paradigm than existing theories and provide definitions for new evolving third place characteristics.

Despite many mothers’ interest in establishing romantic relationships following divorce, some worry about the impacts of dating transitions, such as starting or ending a dating relationship, for their children’s adjustment. The literature illustrates that transitions in and out of relationships could hinder children’s post-divorce adjustment, but a supportive relationship between children and mothers could buffer the damaging effects. Prior research mostly focused on repartnering (i.e., cohabitation and remarriage) whereas a comparative form of romantic experience, post-divorce dating, is understudied. Post-divorce dating, a critical precondition for cohabitation and remarriage, is assumed to have the power to shape family stability and functioning. The goal of this study is to examine the impact of mothers’ post-divorce dating transitions for children’s adjustment. Additionally, we test child-mother rapport as a moderator for the relationship between dating transitions and children’s adjustment. Longitudinal data for this study comes from mothers of elementary-aged children who were within three months of filing for divorce (N = 316). Results from hierarchical linear models show that mothers’ dating transitions exert little direct effect on children’s adjustment. However, child-mother rapport moderated the relationships between the time in mothers’ dating relationships and children’s prosocial behaviors, and between mothers’ romantic breakups and children’s externalizing behaviors. This adds further support that high child-mother rapport benefits children’s adjustment within the context of divorce. Overall, the results suggest that the post-divorce dating relationship transitions may influence children’s well-being via indirect pathways and the moderation effect of child-mother rapport on children’s behavior are inconsistent across dating transitions. Implications for family adjustment and future research are discussed.HighlightsPrior to cohabitation and remarriage, divorced parents are likely to go through multiple post-divorce dating transitions, which are assumed to be able to shape family adjustment.Results reveal that child-mother rapport moderated the relationship between children’s externalizing behaviors and the breakup of a dating relationship after divorce, and the relationship between children’s prosocial behavior and the time of a dating relationship.Other post-divorce dating transitions did not predict changes in children’s behaviors.

Sense of place in learning environments supports students’ identity, belonging, and success. Online learning environments present unique conditions as students engage with others from distinct physical locations through shared virtual interfaces. Differences of location and technology may alter how students’ sense of place and community emerge in online learning courses. This article draws from literature on place and community before synthesizing findings from three sense of community scales for student perceptions of recent online courses. Results contradict and support previous research suggesting virtual platforms enhance identity and community by emphasizing human relationships. Recommendations for continued scholarship and teaching activities are discussed.

Many policy recommendations state that children aged 2 to 5 should not spend more than an hour per day in front of a screen; however, these recommendations are challenged as technology use becomes more mobile and accessible to young children. Background/Objectives: The goal of this study is to examine the relationship between children’s and parents’ mobile media use (i.e., smartphones and tablets) and children’s developmental milestones, including their fine motor, gross motor, and personal social skills. Methods: Data for this study comes from two child development centers in the southwestern United States, one serving predominantly middle class families and another serving low-income families (N = 63). Parents completed online surveys regarding their own and their children’s social media use by uploading screenshots of their own and their children’s mobile media device (if applicable) over the last 24 h. Parents identified how many minutes they spent using social media, how many minutes their child spent using social media, and how many minutes their child spent watching television. To capture children’s developmental milestones, parents completed the ages and stages questionnaire (ASQ3), which measures children’s fine motor skills, gross motor skills, and social skills. Results: Correlation and regression analyses revealed that parent mobile media use was positively associated with children’s gross motor and personal social skills (B = 0.38 and 0.32, respectively, p < 0.05; R2 = 0.09–0.19) and children’s television viewing was negatively associated with children’s gross motor skills (B = −0.30, p < 0.05). Conclusions: Children’s mobile media may have different consequences for children’s developmental milestones compared to television, and parents’ mobile media use may be more associated with children’s developmental milestones than children’s own use of these devices.

Repartnering has been linked to health benefits for mothers, yet few studies have examined relationship quality in this context. According to the divorce–stress–adaptation perspective, relationship quality may influence the relationship between maternal well-being and dating after divorce. The current study examines the consequences of dating, relationship quality, and dating transitions (breaking up and dating new partners) on maternal well-being (negative affect and life satisfaction). Using monthly surveys completed by mothers over a 2-year period after filing for divorce, we examined changes in intercepts and slopes of dating status and transitions for maternal well-being while also testing the effects of relationship quality. Mothers entering high-quality relationships were likely to report boosts in well-being at relationship initiation compared to single mothers and mothers entering low-quality relationships. Mothers entering lower-quality relationships were likely to report lower levels of well-being than single mothers. Dating transitions were associated with increases in well-being. Implications for maternal adjustment are discussed.