What's the Phubbing Problem?

Technology has become commonplace in day-to-day activities, permeating our interactions, relationships, and intimacy. While it allows connectedness to those that are physically far, it also consumes our attention distracting us from being present with friends, family, and loved ones. This can take place in various forms including, but not limited to, texting, social media, video games, and entertainment applications. Phubbing, or phone snubbing, is the extent to which someone uses their phone in the presence of others. Phubbing can look like partners using their phone in the middle of a conversation, ensuring access to their phone at a moment's notice, or using their phone during quality time spent together. Phone use has become expected when people are around each other; however, limited research has been done regarding the impact it has on relationship satisfaction. More specifically, phubbing as it relates to adult attachment and relationship satisfaction. This study explored how perceptions of phubbing behaviors can inform the established relationship between attachment and relationship satisfaction for the individual and the relationship. A sample of 116 couples was recruited through snowball and convenience sampling methods. Participants completed an online survey comprised of measures for demographic information, adult attachment, relationship satisfaction, and partner phubbing behaviors. The data was analyzed using an Actor-Partner Interdependence Moderation Model, or APIMoM, to identify the moderating role of phubbing on the actor and partner effects of attachment and relationship satisfaction. Perceptions of phubbing were found to moderate the relationship between an individual's anxious attachment and avoidant attachment to their partner's reports of couple satisfaction. This supports the interdependent nature of phubbing and the impact it has on the understanding of attachment and couple satisfaction. Future research should explore a larger sample over time to understand long-term impacts of this moderation.