Technology Use, Attachment Styles, and Gender Roles in the Dissolution of Romantic Relationships in Turkey

Abstract

Modern communication technologies (such as e-mailing, texting and messaging via social networks) have become increasingly used today while establishing, maintaining and dissolving romantic relationships. This issue, which is being long studied in the United States, has been recently addressed in developing countries as well. This research has two aims: a) to ascertain the prevalence of the use of technological communication channels such as messaging, e-mail and social networks in the relationship dissolution; b) to examine anxious attachment, avoidant attachment and gender roles in the process of the relationship dissolution through which technology was used. A total of 215 (167 female, 48 male) Turkish university students completed an online questionnaire about technology-mediated breakups, attachment style, and gender role attitudes. According to the correlation and regression analyses, 40% of the students (87 students) stated that they experienced a relationship dissolution via internet. Based on the findings, it may be concluded that there is a significant link only between the use of internet technology with avoidant attachment style and the acceptance of technology use to dissolve the relationship.