Jaclyn Cravens

Recent research has focused on the Internet and relationships; however, little attention has been given to the specific role of social networking sites in relationship betrayal. Exploring the processes related to discovery of Facebook infidelity behaviors adds another layer to understanding Internet infidelity and highlights the behaviors unique to Facebook infidelity. Stories about cheating (N = 90), taken from the website FacebookCheating.com were analyzed using grounded theory methodology to create a process model of discovery. Researchers sought to answer four questions: (1) What is the experience of nonparticipating partners when their partners have engaged in infidelity behaviors on Facebook? (2) What are the basic social processes that occur when discovering the infidelity behaviors? And, (3) What are the basic psychological processes that occur? (4) What similarities or differences exist between the current research on offline and online infidelity and the process model from the current study? The categories are arranged in a process model, which depicts these processes as well as the emotional experience of the nonparticipating partner. The model highlights important phases through which the nonparticipating partner cycled following the discovery of the infidelity. These include appraising the boundary damage, acting on the appraisal, and making a decision about the relationship. Suggestions for clinical intervention based on this process are provided. Future research implications are also discussed.

Over the past 15 years, technology and Internet use has rapidly grown and has had a great impact on individuals and their relationships. Researchers with the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that couples report the Internet has had a significant impact on their relationship - both positive and negative (Lenhart & Duggan, 2014). Positive impacts include helping maintain relationships, increasing connection, and giving more options for long-distance relationships to stay connected. Despite the potential for technology to enhance intimacy and satisfaction in couple relationships, technology also has the potential to negatively affect relationships, with common concerns including online infidelity and problematic or compulsive use (e.g., amount of time spent online, impact of this behavior in one’s life, inability to stop this behavior). Problematic and compulsive use have been found to diminish time spent with one’s partner, decrease emotional support, reduce the ability to resolve conflict, and lower levels of intimacy. The ability for technology and the Internet to either negatively or positively influence relationships may be affected by a couple’s ability to effectively communicate about their preferences for their use

The pervasive nature of technology has forced couples
and families to rethink the role technology plays in their
lives. Several notable areas emerging as challenging areas in
couples’ lives include Internet infidelity, Internet pornography
usage, and cybersex addiction. The increased prevalence of
technology-related issues in therapy has challenged clinicians
with the task of understanding the distinct differences and
commonalities among each Internet-related issue. Two common
Internet sexuality issues reported by clinicians are cybersex
and Internet infidelity. The purpose of this article is to
provide brief descriptions of the most common Internet sexuality
issues, provide an overview of common assessment
procedures, and outline the most recent development in treatment
of these problems.

The Internet can enhance existing relationships or facilitate the
development of new relationships, including illicit ones. Increased
research in this area has predominately been on online sexual addiction and pornography, with few about social networking sites.
Facebook, a popular social networking site boasting 1.15 billion
active users. This article reviews existing literature on Internet infidelity, comparing online activities and Facebook-specific behaviors.
Five areas related to Internet infidelity will be explored, such
as definitions and the impact on relationships. Although several
similarities exist between general Internet and Facebook-specific
infidelity, unique differences exist. Implications for future research
and clinical practice are presented.

The Internet has become an integral aspect of our daily lives, playing a role in work, leisure and personal relationships. Over the past fifteen years, researchers and clinicians have noted the intricate ways that the Internet impacts our clients’ lives, creating both positive and negative outcomes. Recently, social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, have become increasingly popular, bringing with their popularity new issues. At this time there is a limited empirical understanding of the role social networking sites play in our clients’ lives and the impact these sites have on offline relationships. These gaps in the literature call attention to the need for research surrounding social networking sites.
The purpose of this dissertation is threefold. First, to review existing literature on Internet infidelity, providing a discussion of where Facebook infidelity fits into the continuum of infidelity behaviors. Second, to answer four questions related to social networking site infidelity: (1) How do people interpret Facebook activities in regard to their offline intimate relationship? (2) What impact does Facebook have on offline relationships? (3) How might differences in gender impact perceptions of Facebook behaviors? (4) What similarities and differences exist between the proposed study’s findings and previous story completion studies on offline and online infidelity? The third aim was to explore how couples in committed relationships communicate about rules and boundaries for Internet behaviors. The research questions for this study are: (1) What rules and boundaries about social networking site use do couples have? (2) How are these
rules and boundaries communicated in the relationship? (3) How are these rules and boundaries monitored? (4) How does age and familiarity with the Internet and social networking sites impact couples’ communication about rules and boundaries?
The format of the dissertation will be three articles corresponding to the three purposes mentioned above. Chapter 1 will introduce the articles and will provide support for the purpose of the studies. Chapter 2 is a conceptual paper that highlights where Facebook infidelity fits on the continuum of offline and online infidelity behaviors. Chapters 3 and 4 are empirical studies, Chapter 3 explored how people interpret Facebook behaviors in the context of their offline relationship, while Chapter 4 examined what rules and boundaries couples have for online behaviors and how these rules are communicated and monitored. Finally, Chapter 5 offers a concluding chapter highlighting how these three articles combined offer a collective understanding of how Facebook infidelity compares to other forms of infidelity, how people view the impact of Facebook infidelity behaviors in the context of intimate relationships, and how couples communicate rules and boundaries about social networking sites for their intimate partner relationships.
Key words: Facebook infidelity, Internet infidelity, Social networking sites

Discrimination based on an individual’s weight has been observed in health care, education, retail, and other public sectors (Puhl & Huer, Obesity, 17, 941, 2009). Such inequity, known as “weight bias,” generates negative short-term and long-term consequences for the individuals that experience it (Puhl & Brownell, Weight bias in health care settings, 2007). Past research has shown that healthcare trainees exhibit weight bias (Phelan et al., Obesity, 22, 1201, 2014; Wigton & McGaghie, Journal of General Internal Medicine, 16, 262, 2001), yet little focus is given to weight bias in marriage and family therapy (MFT) education. The purpose of this study was to survey MFT students (N = 162) to explore weight bias and how contextual factors associate with weight bias. Participants in MFT programs reported
explicit weight bias, with specific contextual factors associating with more bias. Female participants
reported more fear of gaining weight, and individuals who identified as overweight had higher rates of explicit weight bias. Contextual differences and implications for training
programs are discussed.

This pilot study examined the relationship between youth and care provider self-reports of depressive symptoms assessed through the Patient Health Questionnaire and reports of youth physical and psychosocial functioning assessed by PedsQL4.0 in a rural outpatient overweight pediatric population (N = 66 child and care provider pairs). The relationship between youth body mass index (BMI), youth and care provider depression, youth quality of life (QOL), care provider perception of youth QOL, and youth and care provider congruence of QOL perceptions was examined. Paired t tests were completed to assess the differences between QOL scores for youth and care providers for subgroups based on age, age and gender, and age and race. The mean age of youth participants was 11.9 years; youth BMI ranged from 26.76 to 54.10 (M = 37.20). Our results showed that there are significant differences in youth and care providers' perceptions of QOL when specific demographic categories are assessed by age, gender, and race.

A gap exists in understanding the role that Social Networking Sites (SNS), such as Facebook, play in Internet infidelity. Existing research has focused on the role of pornography, chat rooms, and email. However, SNS are becoming ubiquitous and often facilitate interaction with people that users may interact with offline. This study’s purpose was to analyze the perspective of the nonparticipating partner to understand the relational process that occurs after Facebook infidelity behaviors.
Researchers used constructivist grounded theory methodology to analyze data from a website supporting individuals impacted by Facebook infidelity. The following questions were asked: 1) What is the experience of nonparticipating partners when their partners have used Facebook to engage in infidelity?; 2) What are the social processes that occur around discovering the infidelity ?; and 3) What are the psychological processes that occur within nonparticipating partners? Data was taken from participant postings (n=76) on Facebookcheating.com. Multiple coders followed traditional grounded theory procedures (e. g., open and axial coding) to generate concepts and categories that were arranged into a process model (Charmaz, 2006; Creswell, 2007).
The model illustrates the processes that follow infidelity, including the discovery/investigation, the boundary and damage appraisal, as well as the behaviors and decisions that result.  It also shows the emotional experiences of the partners. The boundary and damage appraisal stage is an important piece of the model because it stresses setting clear rules that both partners agree on regarding appropriate and inappropriate behaviors. Clinicians can benefit from this model by helping clients discuss appropriate SNS boundaries. Additionally the model highlights important warning signs that can aid clinicians in assessing for potential SNS infidelity issues. The model can be applied in clinical and research settings, as it increases understanding of the process nonparticipating partners undergo when infidelity using SNS is present in their relationship.

Nearly half of couples who present for therapy have had violence in their relationship (Stith et al., 2010). Despite this, only a small percentage of these couples disclose this to their therapists. Not only are couples reluctant to admit violence, therapists miss signs of violence or avoid the topic due to discomfort or lack of training (Jory, 2004). When assessment instruments are used, therapists are more likely to uncover violence. However, many therapists are able to only use few instruments because they lack time. This study’s purpose was to determine if a few assessment instruments could predict whether clients could be categorized into relationships with mild, severe, or no domestic violence.

A Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA) was run to test whether scores on the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS), Brief Symptom Index (BSI), and Safety Assessment of Future Events (SAFE) predicted violence levels as determined by the Conflict Tactics Scales 2 Revised (CTS 2S). The CTS categorizes participants into three groups: no, mild, and severe violence. The sample included (n=856) participants from a university family therapy clinic.

Results indicated that the DFA can discriminate victims of severe physical violence from no violence (99.9% explained variance, canonical R²=.27, p =.000), and victims of mild psychological violence from no violence (96.2% variance explained, canonical R²=.30, p=.000) based on variate 1,which had significant effects on both groups. We could say that the SAFE, along with the RDAS assessment identifies relationship violence better than using no measures.

These findings offer clinicians a way of assessing for violence using a limited number of assessment instruments. This will be helpful in clinical work to detect issues with violence early and address them. Researchers may also be able to use scores from these instruments as a way to classify participants by levels of violence.