RESEARCH PROJECT
FRIENDSHIP COMMUNICATION & SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS
by hannah
[ completed in May 2024 ]
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Exploring the Relationship between quality friendship communication and social connectedness levels
The current study’s purpose is to identify what quality communicative behaviors individuals with varying levels of personal social connectedness utilize in communication with their close friends.
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Research Question & Hypotehsis
RQ: What quality communicative behaviors do individuals with varying levels of personal social connectedness utilize in communication with their closest friends?
H: Frequent use of positive quality communicative behaviors is associated with higher levels of personal connectedness.
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Background Information
Friendship has been studied for centuries. Friendships are actively studied across various fields and continue to stand the test of time because of their utility and meaningfulness to our lives (Demir et al., 2015). The current study uses a communicative lens because communication is the foundation of friendships. Norwood (2009) put it best: “Friendships exist because of and through communication,” (p.315).
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Objectives & Pracitical Implication
This study offers holistic data readers may use to implement in their friendships in hopes of bettering personal social connectedness levels. Simultaneously, this study aims to give future researchers the opportunity to have hard evidence to support hypotheses that want to answer the questions surrounding social connectedness levels, including how one can feel more connected to their social world, lessen feelings of loneliness, and ultimately improve their well-being. This study’s aims can be extended to further friendship communication discussions and the longstanding research question: what exactly constitutes personal social connectedness?
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Why study this area? ( Social Benefit )
The quality of communication behavior is particularly important because satisfying and quality relationships are vital for mental and physical health (Gullone Liesel & Heinrich, 2009). One meta-analysis found that strong social relationships are better predictors of health than smoking (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2015). Despite this, the Sapiens' Lab report in 2022 found that younger generations maintain quantity in friends but lack quality, "… they are less likely to be able to confide in their friends or rely on them for help when they need it" (p. 6). Hence, this study examines quality communicative behaviors within the younger generation.
Additionally, the current study fills a gap identified by Lee and Draper (2000): "We would like to see future research on 'social connectedness' relationship with interpersonal behaviors…,"(p. 317). The current study accomplishes this by exploring friendship communicative behavior associations with varying social connectedness levels.
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Methodology
Online survey and follow - up Interview
Participant Demographic: ages 18-35
Sampling methods: snowball & convenience sampling
Scales used: "Relationship Quality Version" by the Network of Relationships Inventory and "The Social Connectedness Scale" by Richard Lee
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