Social sharing with friends and family after romantic breakups: Patterns of media use and effects on psychological well-being

Romantic breakups are prevalent and distressing experiences in the lives of college students. The present study examined (a) college students’ media use for discussing their breakups with various relational partners; and (b) the association between this sharing and personal growth, a eudaimonic marker of well-being. For geographically close relationships, participants used face-to-face interaction the most for breakup-related sharing, followed by texting, and least of all the phone. This pattern was different for long-distance relationships, where texting prevailed, followed by the phone, and least of all face-to-face. Differences also emerged based on relationship type with the sharers (friends vs. family). Only face-to-face sharing with close friends was associated with sharers’ personal growth after the breakup. The results extend the social sharing theoretical framework by incorporating media factors and advance the literature on media use and psychological well-being.