Factors associated with Facebook jealousy in three Spanish-Speaking countries

Abstract

Nowadays, control over one's partner is easily maintained through social networks, such as Facebook. The aim of this study was to analyze the factors associated with Facebook-jealousy. We examined a total sample of 1144 individuals distributed as follows: data from Spain (n = 393), Colombia (n = 600), and Ecuador (n = 151 individuals), with ages ranging from 14 to 42 years old. All participants held nationality from one of the respective countries, were currently or had been enrolled in a relationship, and both the participant and his/her/their partner also had a Facebook account. Participants completed an online survey with self-reported measures to evaluate: self-esteem, partner conflicts and their strategies to cope with them, romantic jealousy, and Facebook jealousy. Results show that the propensity to experience jealousy in the relationship and low self-esteem are related with more Facebook jealousy across the three countries. For both, Spain and Colombia, strategies to cope with partner conflicts are also associated with Facebook jealousy, in particular lower levels of constructive strategies and higher dominance are associated with greater Facebook jealousy. In short, Facebook jealousy represents another way to manifest jealousy that is influenced by both personal and relationship variables.