Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2025
Television's Influence on Emerging Adults’ Romantic Relationship Perceptions: The Role of Coercive Control,Autonomy-Promoting Behaviors,and Third-Person Effect
Media messages shape romantic relationship behaviors, particularly among emerging adults. Coercive controlling behaviors are commonly portrayed in media and studies have shown women are disproportionately affected by these behaviors. This study used a 2 × 2 experimental design, manipulating relationship behavior (autonomy-promoting or coercive control) and its framing (idealized or condemned) in TV clips. Participants reported their endorsement of these behaviors, third-person effect (TPE) perceptions, and demographics. Results showed that viewing coercive controlling behaviors, especially when condemned by the female character, increased support for autonomy-promoting behaviors. Additionally, higher media consumption was associated with stronger TPE. These findings offer insights for media literacy interventions and understanding media's role in shaping relationship norms.
AlickeM. D.KlotzM. L.BreitenbecherD. L.YurakT. J.VredenburgD. S. (1995). Personal contact, individuation, and the better-than-average effect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68(5), 804–825. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.68.5.804
2.
AndereggC.DaleK.FoxJ. (2014). Media portrayals of romantic relationship maintenance: A content analysis of relational maintenance behaviors on prime-time television. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 58(4), 617–633. https://doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2014.966364
3.
ArnettJ. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55(5), 469–480. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.5.469
4.
ArnettJ. J. (2006). Emerging adulthood: Understanding the new way of coming of age. In ArnettJ. J., TannerJ. L. (Eds.), Emerging adults in America: Coming of age in the 21st century (pp. 3–20). American Psychological Association Press.
BaxterL. A. (1990). Dialectical contradictions in relationship development. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 7(1), 69–88. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407590071004
7.
BaxterL. A.MontgomeryB. M. (1996). Relating: Dialogues and dialectics. Guilford Press.
8.
BiN. C.ZhangR.HaL. (2018). Does valence of product review matter? The mediating role of self-effect and third-person effect in sharing YouTube word-of-mouth (vWOM). Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 13(1), 79–95. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-04-2018-0049
9.
BlackM. C.BasileK. C.BreidingM. J.SmithS. G.WaltersM. L.MerrickM. T.ChenJ.StevensM. R. (2011). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2010 summary report. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.nsvrc.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/NISVS_Report2010-a.pdf
10.
BraithwaiteS. R.DeleviR.FinchamF. D. (2010). Romantic relationships and the physical and mental health of college students. Personal Relationships, 17(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6811.2010.01248.x
11.
BreidingM. J.ChenJ.BlackM. C. (2014). Intimate partner violence in the United States—2010. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/21961
12.
BuckleyK. E.AndersonC. A. (2006). A theoretical model of the effects and consequences of playing video games. In VordererP., BryantJ. (Eds.), Playing video games—Motives, responses, and consequences (pp. 363–378). Lawrence Erlbaum.
13.
CarlyleK. E.SlaterM. D.ChakroffJ. L. (2008). Newspaper coverage of intimate partner violence: Skewing representations of risk. Journal Of Communication, 58(1), 168–186. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2007.00379.x
CheungS.HuangC. (2023). Childhood exposure to intimate partner violence and teen dating violence. Journal of Family Violence, 38(2), 263–274. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-022-00377-7
16.
CoyneS. M.NelsonD. A.Graham-KevanN.TewE.MengK. N.OlsenJ. A. (2011). Media depictions of physical and relational aggression: Connections with aggression in young adults’ romantic relationships. Aggressive Behavior, 37(1), 56–62. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.20372
17.
CoyneS. M.Padilla-WalkerL. M.HowardE. (2013). Emerging in a digital world: A decade review of media use, effects, and gratifications in emerging adulthood. Emerging Adulthood, 1(2), 125–137. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696813479782
18.
DavisonW. P. (1983). The third-person effect in communication. Public Opinion Quarterly, 47(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1086/268763
19.
DiefenbachD. L.WestM. D. (2007). Television and attitudes toward mental health issues: Cultivation analysis and the third-person effect. Journal of Community Psychology, 35(2), 181–195. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.20142
20.
DuranR. L.KellyL.RotaruT. (2011). Mobile phones in romantic relationships and the dialectic of autonomy versus connection. Communication Quarterly, 59(1), 19–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/01463373.2011.541336
21.
FerrisA. L.SmithS. W.GreenbergB. S.SmithS. L. (2007). The content of reality dating shows and viewer perceptions of dating. Journal of Communication, 57(3), 490–510. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2007.00354.x
22.
FinchamF. D.StanleyS. M.RhoadesG. (2011). Relationship education in emerging adulthood: Problems and prospects. In FinchamF. D., CuiM. (Eds.), Romantic relationships in emerging adulthood (pp. 293–316). Cambridge University Press.
23.
FraniukR.ColemanJ.ApaB. (2017). The influence of non-misogynous and mixed portrayals of intimate partner violence in music on beliefs about intimate partner violence. Violence Against Women, 23(2), 243–257. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801216637473
24.
GalaR.GhadiyaliR. (2020). The influence of romantic media on young adults’ expectations in relationships. Journal of Media Psychology, 32(2), 85–94. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105/a000259
25.
GarlandT. S.PolicastroC.BranchK. A.HendersonB. B. (2019). Bruised and battered: Reinforcing intimate partner violence in comic books. Feminist Criminology, 14(5), 584–611. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557085118772093
26.
HayesA. F. (2022). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach (3rd edn). The Guilford Press.
27.
HefnerV. (2019). Does love conquer all? An experiment testing the association between types of romantic comedy content and reports of romantic beliefs and life satisfaction. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 8(4), 376–384. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000201
28.
HefnerV.WilsonB. J. (2013). From love at first sight to soul mate: The influence of romantic ideals in popular films on young people’s beliefs about relationships. Communication Monographs, 80(2), 150–175. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637751.2013.776697
29.
HoffnerC.PlotkinR. S.BuchananM.AndersonJ. D.KamigakiS. K.HubbsL. A.KowalczykL.SilbergK.PastorekA. (2001). The third-person effect in perceptions of the influence of television violence. Journal of Communication, 51(2), 283–299. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2001.tb02881.x
JohnsonK. R.HolmesB. M. (2009). Contradictory messages: A content analysis of hollywood-produced romantic comedy feature films. Communication Quarterly, 57(3), 352–373. https://doi.org/10.1080/01463370903113632
32.
JohnsonM. P. (1995). Patriarchal terrorism and common couple violence: Two forms of violence against women. Journal of Marriage and Family, 57(2), 283–294. https://doi.org/10.2307/353683
33.
JohnsonM. P. (2008). A typology of domestic violence: Intimate terrorism, violent resistance, and situational couple violence.Northeastern University Press.
34.
JoseA.O’LearyK. D.MoyerA. (2010). Does premarital cohabitation predict subsequent marital stability and marital quality? A meta-analysis. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72(1), 105–116. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2009.00686.x
35.
KeçeciB.ÜmmetD. (2025). A study of psychological violence in intimate partner relationships among university students: A mixed-methods research. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04375-0
36.
KrachtC. L.PappL. J. (2021). Media consumption: Association with implicit theories of romantic relationships. Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research, 26(4), 363–372. https://doi.org/10.24839/2325-7342.JN26.4.363
37.
LimJ. S. (2017). The third-person effect of online advertising of cosmetic surgery: A path model for predicting restrictive versus corrective actions. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 94(4), 972–993. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077699016687722
38.
MathesonF. I.DaoudN.Hamilton-WrightS.BorensteinH.PedersenC.O'CampoP. (2015). Where did she go? The transformation of self-esteem, self-identity, and mental well-being among women who have experienced intimate partner violence. Women's Health Issues, 25(5), 561–569. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2015.04.006
39.
MintoK.MasserB.LouisW. (2021). Lay understandings of the structure of intimate partner violence in relationships: An analysis of behavioral clustering patterns. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(13-14), NP10810-NP10831. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260520986276
40.
MintoK.MasserB. M.LouisW. R. (2020). Identifying nonphysical intimate partner violence in relationships: The role of beliefs and schemas. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(5-6), 2416-2442. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260520938505
41.
MyhillA. (2015). Measuring coercive control: What can we learn from national population surveys?Violence Against Women, 21(3), 355–375. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801214568032
OutD.HallR. J.GrangerD. A.PageG. G.WoodsS. J. (2012). Assessing salivary C-reactive protein: Longitudinal associations with systemic inflammation and cardiovascular disease risk in women exposed to intimate partner violence. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 26(4), 543–551. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2012.01.019
46.
Öz-ŞoysalG.UysalA.AydinN. (2024). The association between autonomy need satisfaction and romantic relationship quality: A self-determination theory perspective. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 41(1), 123–140. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075231220074
47.
PappL. J.LissM.ErchullM. J.GodfreyH.Waaland-KreutzerL. (2017). The dark side of heterosexual romance: Endorsement of romantic beliefs relates to intimate partner violence. Sex Roles, 76(1–2), 99–109. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-016-0668-0
RhodesN.PotockiB.MastersonD. S. (2018). Portrayals of intimate partner violence in music videos: Effects on perceptions of IPV warning signs. Media Psychology, 21(1), 137–156. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2016.1267648
50.
SavageM. W.ScarduzioaJ. A.Lockwood HarrisK.CarlyleK. E.SheffaS. E. (2017). News stories of intimate partner violence: An experimental examination of participant sex, perpetrator sex, and violence severity on seriousness, sympathy, and punishment preferences. Health Communication, 32(6), 768–776. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2016.1217453
51.
ShenS.KusunokiY. (2019). Intimate partner violence and psychological distress among emerging adult women: A bidirectional relationship. Journal of Women's Health, 28(8), 1060–1067. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2018.7405
52.
SlakoffD. C. (2022). The mediated portrayal of intimate partner violence in true crime podcasts: Strangulation, isolation, threats of violence, and coercive control. Violence Against Women, 28(6–7), 1659–1683. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778012211019055
53.
SmithB. A.ThompsonS.TomakaJ.BuchananA. C. (2005). Development of the Intimate Partner Violence Attitude Scales (IPVAS) with a predominantly Mexican American college sample. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 27(4), 442–454. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739986305281233
54.
SunY.ShenL.PanZ. (2008). On the behavioral component of the third-person effect. Communication Research, 35(2), 257–278. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650207313167
55.
SutherlandM. A.FantasiaH. C.McClainN. (2013). Abuse experiences, substance use, and reproductive health in women seeking care at an emergency department. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 39(4), 326–333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jen.2011.09.011
TolmanD. L.WardL. M. (2022). Media and gendered sexual scripts: Exploring media’s role in everyday life. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 31(5), 406–412. https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214221101072
58.
VennumA.MonkJ. K.PasleyB. K.FinchamF. D. (2017). Emerging adult relationship transitions as opportune times for tailored interventions. Emerging Adulthood, 5(4), 293–305. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696817705020
59.
WardL. M. (2020). Media as a source of sexual socialization. In DiamondL. M., SyedM. E. (Eds.), Handbook of positive sexuality: Diverse perspectives on human sexuality(2nd ed., pp. 333–348). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190057008.003.0019
