Phone or affection?: Assessing dyadic perceptions of partner phubbing,affection deprivation,and relationship satisfaction

Abstract

The present study explored the role of phubbing, or interrupting a conversation by attending to one’s cell phone instead of their communication partner, among 51 couples living together during the COVID-19 pandemic. Framed by affection exchange theory, the present study examined whether phubbing was indirectly associated with relationship satisfaction via feelings of affection deprivation. The findings indicated that phubbing was associated with greater feelings of affection deprivation, which in turn were associated with less relationship satisfaction. However, phubbing similarity (i.e., the extent to which partners engaged in similar phubbing behaviors) was not associated with affection deprivation or relationship satisfaction. Dyadic analyses revealed a partner effect between affection deprivation and relationship satisfaction. The theoretical implications for co-present phone use and its impact on relational dynamics are discussed.