Running head: ARE SISTERS THE SAME AS MISTERS?

UsingSurveystoExaminetheSupportSororitiesProvideonManagingLongDistance
RomanticRelationshipsThroughSocialExchangeTheory
ScholarSavat
CMST485ResearchMethods

ARE SISTERS THE SAME AS MISTERS?

TableofContents
Abstract

IntroductionandRationale
ReviewofRelatedLiterature 5
Method

14

DataAnalysis 17
References

17

ARE SISTERS THE SAME AS MISTERS?

Abstract
WillbeinsertedpendingcompletionofCMST485.

ARE SISTERS THE SAME AS MISTERS?

Introduction
Fourteenmillionindividuals,orsevenmillioncouples,intheUnitedStatesare
classifiedaslongdistancerelationships.Halfofthosesevenmillionaremarriedand
40%ofthoseremainingarecollegestudents(DellmanJenkins,1993).Statistically
speaking,alargenumberofcouplesarepartakinginlongdistancesromantic
relationships,withthecollegeagegroupbeingistheprimarygroupparticipatingina
substantialamountoflongdistancerelationships.Intheselongdistancerelationships,an
assortmentoffactorsarereportedtobelackingandadviceiscommononhowtoresolve
thesefrequentconcerns;howeververylimitedcorrelationisknownabouthowwomenin
sororitiesutilizesupportsystemstocompensatefortherelationaldifference.Because
thereislittledatadirectlyrelatingtosororitywomenandlongdistancerelationships,itis
importanttoexaminethesecommunicationvariablestocultivateanunderstandingofthis
occurrenceanditsimpactonyounglives.
Rationale
Toapproachthetopicoflongdistancerelationships,predominatelyconsidering
sororitywomen,thispaperwillexaminethetopicbylookingintocommunicationideals,
examiningthewaythatsororitywomenuseadifferentemotionalsupportgroupto
compensateforthedeficitsthatoccurinalongdistancerelationship.SocialExchange
Theoryfurtherexplainshowcommunicationbreaksdownandhowtheseindividuals
mustcreateaformofreciprocationwithinthesocialexchanges.Examininghowlong

ARE SISTERS THE SAME AS MISTERS?

distancerelationshipsworkincombinationwiththeaspectsofthesocialexchange
theory.
Thispaperwillexploretheimpactsthatlongdistancerelationshipshave,focusing
onthecollegeageandhowlongdistancerelationshipsdifferfromgeographicallyclose
relationshipsandhowindividualsinlongdistancerelationshipsmaintaintheirstability
andsenseofselfintheirrelationship.Second,itwillexploreGreeklifeandhow
literatureestablishesthelifestyleofsororityandfraternitiesandhowthislifestylehasan
impactinhowindividuals,specificallysororitywomenactintheirrelationships.The
thirditemthispaperwillexamineistheideaofsocialsupport,utilizingconceptsfromthe
socialexchangetheory,andhowcollegestudentsbenefitfromthissupport.Lastlythis
paperwillusesurveystofurtherexplaintherelationaldependenciesthatoccurin
sororities.
ReviewofRelatedLiterature
Longdistancerelationshipsandgeographicallycloserelationshipsbothhave
relationaleffectsthathaveenormousimpactonthelivesofthepersonsinvolved
regardlessofthenatureoftherelationship.Howeversimilar,thoseinvolvedinlong
distancerelationshipsoftenexperienceavarietyofdifferentemotionsandchallengesin
comparisontothoseingeographicallycloserelationships.
DifferentiatorsinLongDistanceRelationships
Factorssuchasstress,loneliness,trustandintimacyissuesallareitemsthatlong
distancerelationshipsexperiencemoreprevalentlythangeographicallyclose
relationships.Stresswithinrelationshipsissomethingallcouplesdealwithregardlessof

ARE SISTERS THE SAME AS MISTERS?

iftherelationshipislongdistanceorgeographicallyclose.However,thoseinvolvedwith
longdistancerelationshipsoftenexperiencefinancialstressfromexpensesthatare
essentialtoseetheirpartner,suchasgasmoneyandtravelingexpenses.Environmental
factorsandattachmentstylesbothfactorintothestressorsthatwillplayintothe
relationship.Thoseattachmentstylescandifferbasedonthesocialsupportthatone
receivesoutsideoftherelationshipfromthoseotherthanthesignificantother(Pistole,
Roberts&Chapman,2010).
Lonelinesswithinlongdistancerelationshipsisnotconstant,butvariesdependent
onfactorswithintherelationship.Lonelinesstendstoincreaseafterseeingthesignificant
otherbutdecreaseswhentheindividualisbusyordoingactivitieswithfriends(Firmin,
Firmin&Lorenzen,2014).Thislonelinesscanbedifficultforthoseinvolvedwiththe
relationshipsandcanfurtheraddontotherelationalsatisfactiontheindividualfeels.
Variablesthatplayintotheperceivedlonelinessaredependentontherelationshipitself
andoutsidecircumstances.
Trustisaprimaryvariableintheeffectsthatlongdistancerelationshipshaveon
couples.Relationaltrustcanbeunderstoodastheexpectationthatyourpartnercanbe
reliedupontobehaveinaresponsiveandbenevolentmanner(Rempel,Ross&Holmes,
2001).Assumingthattrustisdirectlyrelatedtorelationaluncertaintywecouldassume
thatbecausetrustinlongdistancerelationshipsislower,relationaluncertaintywouldbe
higher(Honeycutt&Planalp,1985).Howeveroppositeofcontrarybelief,individualsin
geographicallycloserelationshipsdidnotexperiencelessrelationaluncertaintythan
individualsinlongdistancerelationshipswithsomefacttofacecontact(Dainton&

ARE SISTERS THE SAME AS MISTERS?

Aylor,2001).Eventhoughnosignificantmeasureofdistrustisnoted,itemssuchas
stabilityandhappinesswithintherelationshiparenotaccountedforinthismeasureof
relationaluncertainty(Guldner&Swensen,1995).
Themostnotabledifferentbetweenlongdistancerelationshipsand
geographicallycloserelationshipsisthatthecouplesinvolvedinlongdistance
relationshipsarenotabletoseeeachotherasoftenasgeographicallycloserelationships,
majorlyimpactingtheintimacyintherelationship.Withtheremovalofregularphysical
contactpartnersarenotonlyunabletoseeeachother,buttheycannottoucheachother,
whichisaprimarysupportelementinrelationships(Mietzner&Wen,2005).Intheday
andageofaboomingtechnologyindustrycoupleshavetheabilitytoSkypeandcall
wheneverdesired.Evenwiththiseaseofcomputermediatedcommunication,thereis
stillnoapparentchangeintheintimacylevelsthatlongdistancerelationshipcouplesfeel.
Regardlessoftheeasethattechnologysuppliesuswith,itisstillfailingtoprovide
sufficientphysicalromanticismorintimacyinlongdistancerelationships(Firmin,Firmin
&Lorenzen,2014).However,itwasnotedthatlongdistancerelationshipspotentially
developadifferentlevelofnonphysicalcommunicationduetotheinabilitytophysically
touchandthisconnectionisbelievedtostrengthenthecommunicationaspectinlong
distancerelationships(Jiang&Hancock,2013).Selfdisclosurealsoplayedamajorrole
intheintimacyfeltbybothpartnersandthemoredisclosureinthecommunication,the
greatertheintimacy.Incertaincases,longdistancerelationshipswithhigherself
disclosurehadahigherrateroverallintimacythanthoseingeographicallyclose
relationships(Dainton&Aylor,2001).

ARE SISTERS THE SAME AS MISTERS?

Althoughtherearedifferentiatorsthatdistinguishalongdistancerelationship
fromageographicallycloserelationship,thereisarangeofdifferentwaysthat
individualsmaintainandsupportlongdistancerelationships.
MaintenanceofLongDistanceRelationships
Similartohowlongdistancerelationshipshavefactorsthatdistinguishthemfrom
geographicallycloserelationship,theyalsoconsistofdifferentwaysinwhichcouples
maintainthelongdistancerelationships.Differentiatorssuchastechnology,
communicationandinvolvementallcontributetothemaintenanceoflongdistance
relationships.
Researchhasshownthattheuseofsocialmediainaromanticrelationship
impactsthesatisfactionthattheromanticpartnersperceive(MillerOtt,Kelly&Duran,
2012).Individualswhoareinvolvedingeographicallycloserelationshipsoftenrelyon
itemssuchasFacebook,Snapchat,Facetimeandothervariousformsofsocialmediato
maintaintheclosenessandsatisfactionintherelationship(Blackburn,Hawks,Parker&
Perry,2013).However,whenasignificantdistanceseparatespartners,socialmedia
beginstoplayacrucialformofcommunicationandrelationalmaintenance.Affection
betweenromanticpartnersisoftenconveyedthroughsocialmedia,howevertheapproach
thatthegendersusesocialmediainrelationshipsisverydistinctive.Astudyfoundthat
menusesocialmediaintheirrelationshipstocreatesexualtensionanddecrease
relationalsatisfactionfortheirpartnersandwomenusesocialmediatocreatepositive
sexualandrelationalsatisfaction(Tosun,2012).Oneoftheprimaryformsofsocial
mediatodayisFacebook.OtherresearchhasshownthattheuseofFacebookpositively

ARE SISTERS THE SAME AS MISTERS?

affectsrelationshipsatisfaction(Dainton,2013).However,newlongdistancecouples
experiencepressuretopromotetheirrelationshiponFacebookcomparedtothe
networkingothercouplesuseitfor(Fox,Warber&Makstaller,2013).Socialmediais
allowingforcouplestobridgethegapbetweenthemandbenefitfromthetoolsitoffers.
Abilitytofeelclosetotheirlongdistancepartnerisoneofthebenefitsandmaintenance
thatthesecouplespartakein.
Researchalsoindicatesthatcouplesinlongdistancerelationshipsmustdevelopa
differentkindofcommunication.Communicationthathasopenlinesonbothendsis
crucialinlongdistancerelationships(Maguire&Kinney,2010).Couplesmustmaintain
theirrelationalstatuswithoneanotherandconfirmsuchfeelingsareaccuratelybeing
conveyedandreceivedduetothelackoffacetofacecommunication(Vela,Booth
Butterfield,Wanzer,&Vallade,2013).
Maintainingtheserelationsrequiresacertainlevelofindependencefromeachof
theindividuals.Becomingmoreindependentanddevelopingselfgrowthisashared
themeforthosepreviouslyinvolvedinlongdistancerelationships(Mietzner&Wen,
2005).Beingabletocreateandfostertheirownrelationshipwhileallowingforfurther
selfexplorationandunderstandingduringtherelationshipallowedforindividualsto
enjoytheirdaysapart.Individualscanmaketheirowncontributionstotherelationship
andfostertheirindividualenjoymentwithintherelationship,creatingtheirown
personality(Rhodes,2002).
GreekLife

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Greeklifeiscomprisedofsororitiesandfraternitiesranginginnumbersfrom
twentytoover200andwhocaneachpossessavarietyofdifferentbackgroundsand
skills.Greeksororitiesandfraternitiescanbeeitherphilanthropic,socialordegreebased
dependingontheorganization.PredominantresearchregardingGreeklifeincluded
informationonhazing,substanceabuse,race,andacademics.
Hazingisknownasthepracticeofharassment,embarrassmentorabusetowards
anindividualorgroupofindividuals(Hazing).Althoughhazingisofficiallybannedfor
allnationalGreekorganization,therearecasesthatdooccurandcometothemedias
attention.Numerousexamplesofthishazingexist;apledgeatSt.LouisUniversitydied
whenhewasforcedtolienakedonatableandreceiveshockswhilecoatedinflammable
liquids(MacLachlan,2000).Thiscontinuanceofhazingritualsisbelievedtobe
attributedtoavarietyofitems,oneofwhichbeingpeerpressure.Greeksmayrelymore
ontheirpeerrelationshipsthannonGreekandthispeerpressureplaysaroleinthe
relationshipbetweenGreeks,hazingandalcohol(Borsari&Carey,1999).Greek
organizationsmembersalsodisplayedslightlyincreasedpositiveattitudestowards
pledgingthanthosenonGreeks(Drout&Corsoro,2003).Thedifferentiationbetween
authorityrolesinGreekorganizationsarealsoaspotofconcernandfurtherperpetuates
hazing.Authorityrolescreateadistainbetweenmembersandcreateahierarchybetween
members(Drout&Corsoro,2003).
Casesofhazingareoftenattributedtothealcoholorsubstanceabusethatis
associatedwithGreeklife.Althoughindividuals1829arefoundtohavehigherratesof
alcoholabuseanddependency,membersoftheGreekCommunityareinfactfoundto

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havehigherlikelihoodofdrinking,drinkingheavily,experiencingnegativeoccurrences
fromdrinkingandmeetingcriteriaforalcoholabusethannormalcollegestudents(Park,
Sher,Wood,&Krull,2009).MembersinGreeklifealsohaveahigherrateofexposure
tomarijuanause,tobaccouseandexposuretoenvironmentaltobaccoinhalation(Sidani,
Shensa,&Primack,2013).Studieshaveshownthatthoseindividualswhodrankbefore
collegearemorelikelytojoinGreeklife.Howeverthisdrinkingdistainispredominately
seeninmaledrinkersjoiningfraternitiesratherthanfemaledrinkersjoiningsororities
(McCabe,Schulenberg,Johnston,O'Malley,Bachman,&Kloska,2005).Contrasting
formerdataisastudyreplicatedinboth1994and2000showingthatfewerGreeksdrank
morethan3timesaweekin2000thandidin1994,presentinganoveralldecreaseinthe
destructiveusageofalcohol(Caron,Moskey,&Hovey,2004).ManyGreek
organizationshaveimplementedtrainingandpreventionprogramsregardingalcoholor
haveimplementeddryorganizationlaws(Caron,Moskey,&Hovey,2004).
Asraceisacommontopicinmediatoday,raceisalsoatopicofdiscussionin
termsofGreeklifeaswell.Classbasedexclusionarypracticeshavebeenaprimary
aspectwithinGreeklifeandoftenAfricanAmericansareassumedtonotfitintothe
structure(Hughey,2010).WhiteGreekletterorganizations,WGLO,havebeencalled
intoquestionhowtheirrolesplayintoracialsegregation(Hughey,2010).Although
AfricanAmericansarebeingofferedtheopportunitytojoinWGLOsthequestioniswhy
aretheyunwillingtojoin(Hughey,2010).Instancesoftargetedhazingtowardsthese
AfricanAmericanmembersinWGLOhavebeennotedandarethoughttobeaprimary
concernforindividualswhoarentwhite,joiningaWGLO(Hughley&Hernandez,

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2012).DifferingviewsandlifestylesarealsoaconcernforAfricanAmericansinWGLO.
ValuesandpracticesheldbythoseinWGLOoftenaresimilaracrossmembers,dueto
upbringinginwhitemiddleclassandthesevaluesdonotalwaysalignwithAfrican
Americansbeliefsystem(Hughey,2010).RaceinvolvementwithGreeklifecontinuesto
beanareaofdevelopingresearchandunderstandingforthevariationsinracial
organizationswithGreekletters.
Activeengagementinacademicandsocialenvironmentsduringcollegeyearshas
apositivecorrelationwithstudentperseveranceineducation(Pascarella&Terenzini,
2005).FindingsconfirmedthatindividualsinvolvedwithGreeklifehavehigherratesof
involvementwithuniversityoperations,fromclassestoadditionaluniversityhappenings
(Long,2012).Individualswhowereactivelyinvolvedwithbothuniversityactivitiesand
involvedwithintheirGreekorganizationwere23.5%morelikelytoreceiveacumulative
AGPA(Long,2012).Significantrelationshipshavebeenfoundbetweenacademic
performanceandGreekorganizationinvolvement;thesestudentsweremorelikelyto
receiveahighcumulativeGPAcomparedtothosewhowerelessinvolvedin
organizationactivities(Long,2012).Memberswhoholdleadershippositionswithinthe
organizationhaveahighersignificanceofhigherscholasticattainment(Long&
Snowden,2011).However,thereisconcernthatorganizationleadersalreadydisplay
strongleadershipabilitiesjustbytakingontheseroles,andthereforhavethepotential
andhigherabilitytoobtainscholasticachievementincomparisontotheircounterparts
(Long&Snowden,2011).Overallresearchdisplayedthatcollegiansthatareactively
involvedwithanorganizationdoshowsignsofincreasedscholarlycapabilities.

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AlthoughthereisplentifulresearchconcerningspecificitiesofGreeklife,thereis
verylimiteddataonthesocialsupportthatisprovidedwithinorganizations,specifically
Greeklife.
SocialSupport
Socialsupportisdefinedasthementalorphysicalassistancethatindividuals
receivethroughsocialconnectionsthatcanhelpreducestressandimprovesocial
adaptationcapabilities(Wang&Fu,2012).Literaturesupportsthatacademicsuccessin
collegeishighlycorrelatedwiththeabilitytobecomesociallyintegratedintocampuslife
(Williams,2015).Thesocialsupportthesestudentsreceiveassiststhemintheoverall
academicstandings.OveralltheseindividualshavereportedGPAsof3.0orhigher
(Williams,2015).Socialsupporthasbeendemonstratedinavarietyofdifferentways
buthasproventobeincrediblybeneficial,specificallytocollegeagedindividuals.
SocialExchangeTheory
Thesocialexchangetheory,initiallydevelopedbyGeorgeHomans,PeterBlau
andRichardEmerson,suggeststhatsocialbehavioristheresultofanexchangeprocess.
Thetheoryfurtherexplainssocialvariationandstabilityasnegotiatedinteractions
amongstparties.Allrelationshipshaveameasureofexchangebutthebalanceisnot
alwaysequal,basedoffoftheinteractiontheindividualsdevelopaperception,
perceptionsofwhatwedeserveandtheopportunitycostsinvolvedwiththerelationship.
Duetothepersonallevelofthesocialexchangetheory,romanticrelationshipsare
applicabletothetheory.ThibautandKelley(1959)explain:

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Evenwithinourromanticrelationships,weoftenmakechoicesandbehave
inamannerthatwebelievewillreapthemostrewardsThus,whatseemslikea
fairlysimpleeconomicsbasedperspectiveofrelationshipsisactuallymuchmore
complex.(Thibaut&Kelley,1959)
Theprimarybasisofthistheoryexamineshowanexchangewithinarelationshipis
weighedasbeingeitherworththeindividualsexpenseornotworthit.Asimilarconcept,
opportunitycosts,demonstrateshowindividualswillweighthebenefitsandcosts
betweentwoitems.Thisconceptissimilarinthattheindividualsweighboththe
opportunitiesbutSocialExchangeTheorytiesinrelationalopportunitiesandbenefits.
TheindividualusingSocialExchangeTheoryanalysistherelationshipandthecostand
benefitsassociatedandthenwilldetermineiftherearesuperioralternativeselsewhere.
WithinthisSocialExchange,relationaldynamicsandsatisfactionareoftenusedto
furtheranalyzetherelationshipbenefitsorcoststofurthermakeadecision.
ResearchQuestions
RQ1:Domemberswithinasororityexperiencehighratesofsocialsupportandinturn
higherratesofrelationalsatisfaction?
RQ2:Arethoseindividualswhoarelesssatisfiedwiththeirsororitysupportexperience
anyromanticrelationaldifferences?
Method
Thegoalofthissectionistogiveadetaileddescriptionofthemethodsusedto
designandimplementthestudy.Inordertoensureclaritythesectionhasbeendivided

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intofourtopicareas;subjects,procedures,instrumentandvariables,withdataanalysisto
beaddedonceresearchiscompleted.
Subjects
Inthespringof2016subjectsfromseveralMidwesternUniversitieswereinvited
toparticipateand221femalestudentsinvolvedinsororitiesweresurveyed.Permissionto
usethoseindividualsassubjectswasgrantedbythedepartmentofcommunicationand
theInstitutionalReviewBoard.
Thesubjectswillbecontactedthroughconveniencesampling.Addasentence
whythisisanacceptabletypeofsamplecitekeytonIndividualswerecontacted
throughthepresidentoftheorganizationpostingthelinktoasocialmediapagewithonly
sororitymembersinordertoensurethateveryonehadequalopportunityandaccesstothe
survey.Thesurveylinkwillbesentdirectlytofifteendifferentsororitypresidentsat
differentuniversitieswhowillthensendthesurveyouttotheirmembers.Memberswill
berecruitedtotakethesurveyonthebasisthattheyarefemalesinalongdistance
relationshipandasorority.
Procedures
Subjectsweremadeawareofthesurveyaminimumoftwotimestoensurethat
allmemberswouldhaveaccesstotheopportunitytoparticipate.ThechapterPresident
madeannouncementsattheweeklymeetingsatallofthedifferentMidwesternsororities.
Thesubjectsweregiventhelinkgivingthemaccesstothesurvey,oncetheysubmitted
theirsurvey;anumberwasassignedtoensureidentitieswereremoved.Uponcompletion
eachscoringsectionwillbecalculatedusingtheoverallopinionsbeingassociatedwith

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longdistanceromanticrelationshipswithsororityinvolvement.Thequestionsbeginwith
socialsupportthenmovetorelationalsupportandconcludewithrelationalsatisfaction.
Thesignificancelevelwassetat.05todeterminesignificantchangesinattitudesinterms
ofrelationalsatisfactionandsororityinvolvement.Toanalyzetheresultsstatistics
poweredbySPSSwillbeused.Ttest,reliabilitytestsandspearmansRcorrelations
statisticswillbeusedinexaminingthedata.
Instrument
TheinstrumentusedinthisstudyisaSavatsLongDistanceRelational
Satisfaction,whichconsistedof20questionsdiscussingsocialsupport,relationship
supportandrelationalsatisfaction.Thissurveyismadeupofsectionsfromthree
separatesurveys.ThefirstsurveywastheMultidimensionalScaleofPerceivedSocial
SupportbyZimet,Dahlem,Zimet&Farley.Thesecondaspectofthesurveywastaken
fromtheInterpersonalSupportEvaluationList.Thefinalsurveywasfromthe
CommunicationChannels,SocialSupportandSatisfactioninLongDistanceRomantic
RelationshipsandproducedaCronbachof.89.ThesurveywasaccessedonGoogle
Forms.Thequestionswereonthreeseparatesurveypages,eachpageconsistingof57
questionsandvaryinginnature.AreliabilitytestproducedaCronbachof.86.
Variables
Theindependentvariablesaretheage,location,socialclassandlengthoflong
distancerelationship.ThedependentvariablewillbeSavatsLongDistanceRelational
SatisfactionInstrument,seeAppendixA.
DataAnalysis

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Todetermineifthescalewasindeedmeasuringthecorrelationbetweenrelational
supportandsatisfaction,theinitialfactoranalysisusingalinearregressionhastoreach
anacceptablesignificancescoreof.05.Thesamecriterionwasusedtotestifitemswere
validandreflectiveofthevariablesrepresented.Finally,aOneWayANOVAusinga.05
levelofsignificancewasusedtodeterminedifferencesamongresponses.
Results
Theresearchquestionsthatwereexaminedwere,domemberswithinasorority
experiencehighratesofsocialsupportandinturnhigherratesofrelationalsatisfaction
andarethoseindividualswhoarelesssatisfiedwiththeirsororitysupportexperienceany
romanticrelationaldifferences?Theresearchquestionswereanalyzedusingalinear
correlationandonewayANOVAstatisticalexamination.Theresearchquestionswere
fullyanswered.Theresearchfoundthatthereisacorrelationbetweensocialsupport,
relationalsupportandrelationalsatisfaction.
Therewere221participantsinthefinalsampleforthisstudy.Themeanagefor
participantswas20.5,themeanmonthsinsororitywas20.1,themeandistanceinmiles
betweentheparticipantandsignificantotheris865milesandthemeanmonthsdating
was27.Subjectsweremadeawareofthestudyandwererequiredtogivetheirconsent
beforebeingabletoproceedinthesurvey.
Intheimmediateexaminationofthisdata,itrevealedthatsororitymembersfound
socialsupport(SS)andrelationalsupport(RS)correlatedtooneanother.(SeeTable1)
Specifically,subjectsperceivedthatmembersofasororitywhoexperiencesocialsupport
fromothersororitysistersalsofeltthattheywerereceivingrelationalsupportfortheir

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ongoinglongdistancerelationshipwiththeirboyfriendr(221)=.79,p<.01,see
appendix1,table1below.FurtherexaminingusingaonewayANOVAshowedavariety
ofsignificanceswithinthedata.Therewassignificancebetweenageandthesocial
supportmembersreceiveinmakingseriousdecisionsr(221)=.05,p<.05,seeappendix
2,table2below.Significancewasalsodiscoveredbetweenmonthsspentdatingandthree
sectionswithinsocialsupport,seeappendix2,table3below.r(221)=.046,p<.05,
r(221)=.014,p<.05,r(221)=.026,p<.05.Theindividualsageandtheamountof
relationalsupportalsohadstrongsignificance,r(221)=.038,p<.05andr(221)=.011,p
<.05,seeappendix2,table4.Relationalsupportonceagainwasimpactedbytheamount
oftimethattheindividualhadbeenintheirlongdistancerelationshipr(221)=.01,p<.
05,r(221)=.006,p<.05,seeappendix2,table5.
ExaminingtheresearchusingLinearRegressionsproducedavarietyoffurther
significance.Thesurveywasbrokendownbytheindependentvariable;age,monthsin
sorority,milesbetweensignificantotherandself,andmonthsdating.Theseindependent
variableswerecomparedwitheachsurveyquestion.Significancebetweenageandthe
questionIfarelationalcrisisarose,itwouldbedifficulttofindasororitysisterwho
couldgivemegoodadviceabouthowtohandleitwasprevalentr(221)=.004,p<.05,
seeappendix2,table6.MonthsinsororityandthequestionIfeelthatthereisnota
sororitysisterIcansharemymostprivaterelationalworriesandfearswithhada
significanceof.047,r(221)=.047,p<.05,seeappendix2,table7.Thedurationofthe
longdistancerelationshipandtheconfidenceoftherelationshipsuperioritywas
significant,r(221)=.015,p<.05,seeappendix2,table8.Intheoverallcategories,age

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wassignificantinboththesocialsupportquestionsandrelationalsupportr(221)=.05,p
<.05,r(221)=.041,p<.05,seeappendix2,tables9and10below.
Discussion
Thisstudywasdesignedtodescribetherelationshipbetweenthesocialand
relationalsupportsororitywomenreceivetoassistintheirlongdistancerelationship.The
secondarygoalofthestudywastotestaninstrumentthatincludedsocialandrelational
supportinconjunctionwithlongdistancerelationshipsspecificallyforsororitywomen.
Thepopulationforthisstudyindicatedthatfactorsimpactedthewayindividuals
perceivedsocialsupport,relationalsupportandrelationalsatisfaction.
Theresultsfirstindicatedthatageplayedalargefactorinthesignificancein
variousresults.Ageimpactedbothsocialsupportandrelationalsupportthatsorority
womenexperience.Recallthatsocialsupporthasbeendemonstratedinavarietyof
differentwaysbuthasproventobeincrediblybeneficial,specificallytocollegeaged
individuals(Williams,2015).Ascollegestudentsprogressfurtherthroughtheircolligate
experiencetheycultivateadditionalconnectionsthatprovideanincreasedsocialand
relationalsupportnetwork.Assororitywomengothroughcollegetheysubstantially
experienceincreasedsocialsupportfromthosearoundthem.Notonlydotheydevelop
increasedlevelsofsocialsupport,buttheyalsoexperienceincreasedrelationalsupport.
Thiscorrelationofsocialsupportandrelationalsupportislikelyattributedtothefactthat
thoseprovidingthesocialsupporttothesororitymembersarealsothesameindividuals
whoprovidetherelationalsupport.Regardlessofage,datadisplaysthatsocialsupport
andrelationalsupportarecontinuouslylinked.Theimplicationsofthisresultdemonstrate

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thematurityandincreasedsupportsthatthoseolderinageexperienceintheir
relationships.
Resultsalsoindicatedthatthemonthsthecouplehadbeendatingimpacted
variousareaswithintheresults.Thetimethecouplehadbeendatingwassignificantly
linkedwithbothsocialandrelationalsupport.WHY?
Socialsupportandrelationalsupportweresignificantlyimpactedbytheamount
oftimethecouplehadbeendating.Thoseindividualshadanincreasedamountoftimein
turnwereexperiencingsignificantratesofbothsocialsupportandrelationalsupport.
Recallthatsocialexchangetheoryexamineshowanexchangewithinarelationshipis
weighedasbeingeitherworththeindividualsexpenseornotworthit(Thibaut&Kelley,
1959).Individualsinarelationshipthatispastthehoneymoonphasebeginto
experiencetensionsandstressorsthereforeturntoothers.Womenwhoareexperiencing
therealitiesofrelationaldistressorconcernswillgototheirsupportsystem,both
relationalandsocial,andweighttheiroptions.Therehasbeennopriorresearchdoneon
thelinkingofsocialsupportandrelationalsupportwithinfriendships.Theimplications
oftheseresultsdemonstratethecrucialneedforthosewhohavespentlongerinalong
distancerelationshiptohaveastrongsupportsystem.
Themostinterestingfindingtheresearchrevealedwasthatrelationalsupportand
socialsupporthavenointeractionwiththerelationalsecuritytheindividualhas.This
resultwasparticularlyinteresting,recallthatsocialsupportisdefinedasthementalor
physicalassistancethatindividualsreceivethroughsocialconnectionsthatcanhelp
reducestressandimprovesocialadaptationcapabilities(Wang&Fu,2012).Although

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socialsupportassiststhementalassistanceindividualsreceive,ithasnoapparentlinkto
therelationalsatisfaction.Socialexchangetheoryalsoexplainstheseresults,recallthat
individualsusingsocialexchangetheory,analyzetherelationshipandthecost/benefits
associatedandthenwilldetermineiftherearesuperioralternativeselsewhere.Within
thissocialexchange,relationaldynamicsandsatisfactionareoftenusedtofurthermakea
decision(Thibaut&Kelley,1959).Individualswhoarereceivingsocialsupportand
relationalsupportmaybesubsequentlycomparingtheirrelationalsatisfactiontothese
interactions.Basedoffofsocialexchangetheory,individualscomparethetwo
interactions,overallsupportandrelationalsatisfaction,andweighingwhichoneprovides
thegreatestlevelofsatisfaction.Theimplicationsoftheseresultsaresignificantfor
relationshipsbothlongdistanceandgeographicallyclose.Simply,thoseindividualswho
areinarelationshipexperiencenodifferencewhentheyhaveasupportsystemcompared
tothosewhodo.Theseresultscallintoquestionmanyofmypreviousfindingsabout
lonelinessinrelationships.Recallthatlonelinesstendstoincreaseafterseeingthe
significantotherbutdecreaseswhentheindividualisbusyordoingactivitieswithfriends
(Firmin,Firmin&Lorenzen,2014).Overall,theseresultsshedanewlightonhowsocial
andrelationalsupportlacksignificancewithrelationalsatisfaction.
BasedoffoftheresultsandanalysisIwasabletoanswerthefirstresearch
question:Domemberswithinasororityexperiencehighratesofsocialsupportandin
turnhigherratesofrelationalsatisfaction?Researchindicatedthatsocialsupportand
relationalsatisfactionhavenosignificanceandinturndonotimpactoneanother.The
secondresearchquestionhowever,wasunabletobeansweredbasedoffofthedata

ARE SISTERS THE SAME AS MISTERS?

22

collected:Arethoseindividualswhoarelesssatisfiedwiththeirsororitysupport
experienceanyromanticrelationaldifferences?Althoughresearchfoundthatthesupport
theindividualsreceivedoesnotimpactrelationalsatisfaction,thedatawasunableto
distinguishifsororitysupporthadanycorrelationtorelationalsatisfaction.
Therewerevariouslimitationswithinthisstudy.First,theresearchquestions
werenotfittedfortheadjustedstudyandthereforewerenotabletobecompletely
answered.Alterationstotheresearchquestionsshouldhavebeenmadeinorderto
developtheabilitytofullyanswerthefindingsofthestudy.Second,thestudywould
havebenefitedfromtakingalookatthosewhoarenotinasororityastocompareresults.
Havingdatafromthosewhoarenotinasororitywouldenablenotonlythesecond
researchquestiontobeanswered,butalsotofurtherthedatainthestudy.Thefinal
limitationwithinthestudyisthatfurtherexaminationofrelationalsatisfactionwithin
researchwouldhaveenabledthestudytofocusonhowitisimpactedbysupport.Future
scholarsshouldnotetheselimitationsinordertoincreasethesignificancewithinthe
study.
FutureStudiesandConclusion
Futurescholarsshouldnotethatnumerouschangesshouldbemadeinorderto
strengthentheoverallprecisionofthestudy.Theprimarychangethatscholarsshould
noteisthatthestudyshouldincludethosenotinvolvedwithGreeklife.Bydoingthis,the
studywouldbeabletoexamineifthoseinvolvedinGreeklifeexperiencehigherratesof
socialsupport,relationalsupportandrelationalsatisfactioncomparedtothosenotin
Greeklife.Havingthisinformationwouldfurtherdistinguishifbeinginvolvedwithan

ARE SISTERS THE SAME AS MISTERS?

23

organizationincreaseslevelsofsocialsupport.Futurescholarsshouldexamineother
theoriesthatcouldfurtherlinktothemodificationsmadeinthestudy.Finally,
adjustmentsshouldbemadetothesurveyinordertoincreasetheaccuracyoftheresults
withinthestudy.
Inconclusion,

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29

ARE SISTERS THE SAME AS MISTERS?

Appendix1:SavatsLongDistanceRelationalSatisfactionInstrument
Age
University
Timeinsorority
Milesbetweenyouandsignificantother
Amountoftimeelapsedsincestarteddating
SocialSupport
IhaveaspecialsororitysisterwhoisaroundwhenIaminneed
StronglyAgree
Disagree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly

ThereisaspecialsisterwithwhomIcansharemyjoysandsorrows
StronglyAgree
Disagree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly

Disagree

Strongly

Disagree

Strongly

Disagree

Strongly

Disagree

Strongly

Ihaveasisterwhoisarealsourceofcomfortforme
StronglyAgree
Disagree

Agree

Neutral

Mysororityfriendsreallytrytohelpme
StronglyAgree
Disagree

Agree

Neutral

Icannotcountonmysisterswhenthingsgowrong
StronglyAgree
Disagree

Agree

Neutral

Icantalkaboutmyproblemswithmysisters
StronglyAgree
Disagree

Agree

Neutral

Thereisaspecialsisterwhocaresaboutmyfeelings

30

ARE SISTERS THE SAME AS MISTERS?

StronglyAgree
Disagree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly

Idonothavesisterswhoarewillingtohelpmemakeaseriousdecision
StronglyAgree
Disagree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly

Ifarelationalcrisisarose,itwouldbedifficulttofindasororitysisterwho

could

givemegoodadviceabouthowtohandleit.
StronglyAgree
Disagree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly

TherearesororitysisterswhomIcantrusttogivemegoodrelationaladvice.
StronglyAgree
Disagree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly

WhenIneedsuggestionsonhowtodealwitharelationalproblem,Iknowa sisterI
canturnto.
StronglyAgree
Disagree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly

IfeelthatthereisnotasororitysisterIcansharemymostprivaterelational
worriesandfearswith.
StronglyAgree
Disagree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly

ThereisasisterthatIfeelcomfortabletalkingtoaboutintimaterelational
problems.
StronglyAgree
Disagree

Agree

Mypartnermeetsmyneeds

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly

31

ARE SISTERS THE SAME AS MISTERS?

StronglyAgree
Disagree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly

Ifeelthatmylongdistancerelationshipissuperiorcomparedtomost
StronglyAgree
Disagree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly

IoftenwishIhadntgottenintothislongdistancerelationship
StronglyAgree
Disagree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly

Mypartnershowsaffectionforme
StronglyAgree
Disagree

Agree

Mylongdistancerelationshiphasmetmyoriginalexpectations
StronglyAgree
Disagree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly

Therearemanyproblemsinmylongdistancerelationship
StronglyAgree
Disagree

Agree

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly

Neutral

Disagree

Strongly

Ifeelveryclosetomypartner
StronglyAgree
Disagree

Agree

ARE SISTERS THE SAME AS MISTERS?

Appendix2:Data
Table1:

32

ARE SISTERS THE SAME AS MISTERS?

Table2:

Table3:

33

ARE SISTERS THE SAME AS MISTERS?

Table4:

Table5:

34

ARE SISTERS THE SAME AS MISTERS?

Table6:

Table7:

Table8:

35

ARE SISTERS THE SAME AS MISTERS?

Table9:

Table10:

36