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Cross-Sex Best Friendships and the Experience and Expression of Jealousy within Romantic Relationships

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2019

Eletra Gilchrist-Petty Open the ORCID record for Eletra Gilchrist-Petty [Opens in a new window]  and
Lance Kyle Bennett
Eletra Gilchrist-Petty*
Affiliation:
Department of Communication Arts, The University of Alabama Huntsville, Huntsville, Alabama, USA
Lance Kyle Bennett
Affiliation:
Department of Communication Studies, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
*
Address for correspondence: Eletra Gilchrist-Petty, Department of Communication Arts, The University of Alabama Huntsville, CTC 212, Huntsville, AL, USA. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

This study investigated cross-sex best friendships in the experience and expression of jealousy within romantic relationships. Survey data (N = 346) revealed engaged-to-be-married individuals, compared to single, dating and married individuals, have the most negative attitudes regarding cross-sex best friendships. Results further indicated preventive jealousy experience is a predictor of rival-focused jealousy expression, and reactive jealousy experience is a predictor of both constructive and destructive jealousy expressions. Findings also suggest attitudes toward cross-sex best friendships can mediate the relationship between how jealousy is experienced and expressed in relation to reactive jealousy experience and destructive jealousy expression. Implications are discussed regarding how cross-sex best friendships can adversely affect romantic relationships.

Keywords

cross-sex best friendshipsjealousyromantic relationshipsjealousy experiencejealousy expressionattitude mediation
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Relationships Research , Volume 10 , 2019 , e18
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2019 

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