Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 7, 2026

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
Published on: September 19, 2019
College students' use of electronic communication with parents: links to loneliness, attachment, and relationship
Amy L Gentzler1, Ann M Oberhauser, David Westerman
1Department of Psychology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia 26506, USA. amy.gentzler@mail.wvu.edu
Abstract:
Despite the ubiquitous use of new communication technologies, gaps in our knowledge remain regarding who is likely to rely on particular technologies and potential ramifications of these forms of communication on individuals' relationships and adjustment. In an online survey, 211 college students reported on their use of electronic communication with a parent who they identified as their closest family member. Results indicated that students who report more frequent phone conversations with parents also report more satisfying, intimate, and supportive parental relationships, but those students who use a social-networking site to communicate with parents report higher levels of loneliness, anxious attachment, as well as conflict within the parental relationship. The findings offer new evidence on how electronic communication technology with parents is related to adjustment in college students. Our study also suggests that further research is needed using longitudinal designs to understand better young adults' use of technology to communicate in today's society.
Related Concept Videos
Relationship with Parents: Attachment
Social Foundations of Self IV: Self in Digital Communication
Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood
Bullying
Cross-Sectional Research
Social Relationships and Well-Being