Michelle Drouin

Purdue University Fort Wayne · Department of Psychology

Smartphone use during parenting is common, which may lead to distraction (also known as technoference). However, it is likely that some phone activities are less disruptive to parents and children. In this study, we explored smartphone use (via passive sensing across 8 days) within 264 parents of infants, measuring parents’ application use on their...

Introduction: Smartphone use during caregiving has become increasingly common, especially around infants and very young children, and this use around young children has been linked with lower quality and quantity of parent-child interaction, with potential implications for child behavior, and parent-child attachment. To understand drivers and conse...

Possible effects of parent phone use on parent–child interactions and child behavior are of concern, warranting research to understand parent phone use. In this survey study of 183 families with a young child (M = 2.89 years), we examined parents’ phone use for texting/calling, social media (SM) use, mobile gaming (MG), and perceptions of cutting i...

Backburner refers to a desired prospective romantic/sexual partner with whom one interacts with the purpose of possibly creating a future romantic or sexual relationship. Modern technology has made it easier to develop and maintain relationships with backburners. This study analyzed the different motivations that individuals (N = 762) use towards t...

Aims In this study, we examined the prevalence of apologies and predictors (i.e., empathy, guilt, and psychopathy) of apologies for actual or asserted sexual impropriety in experimental scenarios. Background Our goal was to determine the extent to which a workplace sexual harassment scenario differed from an interpersonal (non-workplace) sexual sc...

With many U.S. schools adopting 1-to-1 school device programs, research on the potential impacts of this device usage at home is critical. In this study, we examined elementary school parents’ perceptions of their child’s use of their school-issued device for academic skill-building and entertainment at home. We then examined the associations betwe...

Peer support programs have been utilized for a variety of mental-health-related needs, including suicidality and depression. In this pilot program, we developed a peer support network to address multimorbidity involving intimate partner violence (IPV), suicidal ideation, and depression. Over one year, our Suicide Obviation Support (SOS) navigators...

We examined objective smartphone use (via a mobile sensing application) and self-reported desire to change phone use among a sample of 268 U.S. parents of infants. Using the Transtheoretical Stages of Change model as a conceptual foundation, we contextualized their attitudes and behaviors and explored how phone use and desire to change relate to pe...

Background: Cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) capture an abundance of data for clinicians to review and integrate into the clinical decision-making process. The multitude of data from different device types and vendors presents challenges for viewing and using the data in clinical practice. Efforts are needed to improve CIED re...

Back burner relationships are prospective sexual/romantic partners that individuals communicate with for purposes of developing a sexual and/or romantic relationship. This study analyzed 762 college students with regard to sex, relationship status, love styles, and numbers of back burners. Men reported more back burners with whom they sometimes com...

Background: Surgical futility and shared decision-making to proceed with high-risk surgery are challenging for patients and surgeons alike. It is unknown which factors contribute to a patient's decision to undergo high-risk and potentially futile surgery. The clinical perspective, founded in statistical probabilities of survival, could be misalign...

As sexting continues to develop as a facet of sexual behavior among emerging adults, it is important to examine precursors and outcomes of such behavior. Current research is beginning to examine potential positive outcomes of consensual sex- ting in addition to negative consequences, as well as the motivations and contexts in which these consequenc...

1590 Background: The COVID-19 pandemic increased the use of telehealth to reduce exposure, which was critical for patients with cancer. The extent to which patients with cancer view telehealth visits as meeting their medical needs was investigated using a cross-sectional survey. Methods: Patients currently receiving cancer treatment at a single can...

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent that alcohol consumption affected participants’ perceptions of their own and their friend’s ability to consent to sex in a non-bar drinking environment. We interviewed 176 people at tailgates in dyads about their own and their friends’ alcohol consumption, intoxication symptoms, and ability to con...

Veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV ECMO) has been used as a life-supporting modality for patients with severe respiratory failure because of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We aim to evaluate the performance of the RESP score in predicting the hospital survival of COVID-19 patients undergoing VV ECMO. We performed retrospectiv...

Purpose In this paper, we examine the use of court cases as learning tools for organizations, drawing upon a case involving a workplace wellness program. The study measures employee perceptions and provides an insight into employee beliefs about wellness plan programming. Practical insights for organizations wanting to incorporate court cases into...

This introduction to a special Technology and Relationships issue of the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships introduces the collection of articles. It describes the editorial development of the issue, identifies how the articles are organized into three clusters reflecting the developmental arc of relationships, provides a precis of each a...

Emotionally-responsive chatbots are marketed as agents with which one can form emotional connections. They can also become weak ties in the outer layers of one's acquaintance network and available for social support. In this experiment, which was designed to study the acquaintance process, we randomly assigned 417 participants into three conditions...

Back burners are prospective romantic and/or sexual partners with whom one communicates, often using digital communication channels, for purposes of potentially developing a sexual and/or romantic relationship. The current study explores the consequences of back burner communication on relationship commitment and personal stress. Moreover, early ba...

The recent #MeToo movement empowered female sexual harassment and assault victims to publicly share their stories, using social media as the primary platform. Though the goals of the movement included de-stigmatization and support for victims, the discourse that followed often resulted in highly varied responses to reported incidents. In this study...

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine whether work-related technology use outside of work and around family members could produce technoference or phubbing, where time spent with family members is interrupted by or intruded upon by technology use. The authors also examined its impact on work-to-family spillover, feelings of overload, life...

When a relationship ends, former partners must make decisions about their online, often public, connections and history, which involve a complex disentangling process. We examined post-breakup behaviors including monitoring, interacting, deleting posts/photos, deleting the former partner, deleting the partner's family/friends, stopping social media...

Back burners are people with whom one communicates to potentially establish a future romantic or sexual relationship, and these relationships are common among college students. Using a sample of noncollege adults currently in committed relationships (N = 246) obtained via Amazon's MTurk, this study examines how a prior relationship role with a desi...

In this study, we examined the prevalence of and communication with backburners (romantic alternatives) within a sample of both married (n= 188) and casually dating (n = 230) men and women in the United States. We also examined the roles of relationship length, commitment, sex, and marital status in the number of backburners reported and their comm...

Background: Sexting is an increasingly common phenomenon among adolescents and young adults. Some studies have investigated the role of personality traits in different sexting behaviors within mainstream personality taxonomies like Big Five and HEXACO. However, very few studies have investigated the role of maladaptive personality factors in sexti...

Early sexual debut has been a focus of social scientific research due to its association with adverse circumstances and negative outcomes. However, there has been a recent shift to considering not only chronological age, but also the degree to which the event is viewed to be optimally timed (i.e., the perception that it occurred at the "right time"...

In this study, we examined the typical and ideal bedtime routines of 289 Americans in cohabiting relationships who were recruited from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Participants described their bedtime routines, indicated their frequency of sex with their partner, and completed surveys measuring their bedtime, sexual, relationship, and life satisfactio...

Recent empirical data suggests that the majority of adolescents and emerging adults utilize digital technology to engage with texting and social media on a daily basis, with many using these mediums to engage in sexting (sending sexual texts, pictures, or videos via digital mediums). While research in the last decade has disproportionately focused...

Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) demonstrate persistent knowledge gaps regarding their condition and a substandard adherence to oral anticoagulant (OAC) medication, which contribute to thromboembolic stroke and other clot-related complications. Tailored patient education and medication reminders may help reduce these negative health outcomes....

In this study, we examined parents' (n = 260) perceptions of their own and their children's use of social media and other types of communication technologies in the beginning stages of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) related sanctions (e.g., social distancing) in the United States. We also examined associations between social media and technolo...

An online survey was created and deployed from July 2 to July 20, 2020. Respondents received an invitation to participate in the survey from school districts, Parkview Sports Medicine, parent-teacher organizations, and via social media. Respondents were 18 years or older and had one or more children under 18 years in their household. A total of 947...

Sexting has been defined as sharing sexually suggestive content (i.e., sexts) via Internet or smartphone. To date, only a few studies investigated the role of personality traits in relation to sending or receiving sexts, and most of them used the Five Factor Model of Personality. No studies applied the theoretical model of HEXACO six personality tr...

The landscape of couple leisure time has shifted to include and, in some relationships, rely upon technology use. Technology has the potential to intrude upon face-to-face interactions and quality time together—i.e., technoference, phubbing. However, it is also likely that couples engage in shared technology use, which could lead to bonding. In the...

Background Pharmacodynamics and pharmacogenetics are being explored in pharmacological treatment response for major depressive disorder (MDD). Interactions between genotype and treatment response may be dose dependent. In this study, we examined whether MDD patients with Met/Met, Met/Val, and Val/Val COMT genotypes differed in their response to bup...

Aims To identify knowledge gaps and preferences for educational material to improve nurse–patient communication and self‐care. Design Using a mixed‐methods design, we conducted focus groups and quantitative surveys. Methods We conducted three focus groups with atrial fibrillation (AF) patients and support persons (N = 17 participants; 66 ± 16 yea...

Background Data from remote monitoring (RM) of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) are not currently accessible to patients despite demand. The typical RM report contains multiple pages of data for trained technicians to read and interpret and requires a patient-centered approach to be curated to meet individual user needs. Objective To...

Objective Our primary objectives were to examine adherence rates across two technologies (e-prescribing software and smart pill bottle) with cross-validation from alert-triggered messaging within the patient electronic health record (EHR) portal and to explore the benefits and challenges faced by atrial fibrillation (AF) patients in using a smart p...

Background The risk of stroke is high among elderly patients with Atrial Fibrillation (AF) and is associated with inadequate adherence to oral anticoagulation (OAC) therapy. Reasons for non-adherence may include patients' lack of knowledge about their disease. Research suggests that health education could increase patient engagement. Prior interven...

Purpose of Review For decades, researchers have been examining the correlates, outcomes, and contexts related to sexual debut. Early inquiries employed mostly retrospective methods with convenience samples, focusing on the negative correlates of early sexual debut. However, recent research has been more nuanced, using longitudinal methods with nati...

The current research locates back burners on the spectrum of human sexual and relational behavior by examining an array of dimensions that might highlight both similarities and differences between back burners and two other casual sexual relational experiences (CSREs), friends with benefits relationships and hookups. An experiment (N = 327) reveale...

Individuals high in neuroticism experience negative affect and social anxiety, therefore, they may prefer online communications where they are able to portray an idealized image of themselves to attract social support, seek validation, and enhance mood. These motivations may lead to greater social media use and addiction. In this study of Facebook...

Objective: Researchers conduct studies with selection biases, which may limit generalizability and outcomes of intervention research. In this methodological reflection, we examined demographic and health characteristics of implantable cardioverter defibrillator patients who were excluded from an informatics intervention due to lack of access to a...

We report data from a national survey of faculty (N = 482) that examined scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) research across 7 dimensions of productivity, comparing current perceptions of SoTL with those of a previous study published 10 years ago, and differences across disciplines, institutions, and gender. Psychology faculty had more posi...

The current abundance of technology in daily life creates opportunities for interruptions in couple interactions, termed technoference or phubbing. The current study examined reports from both partners in 173 romantic relationships who completed daily surveys on technoference and relational well-being measures across 14 days. By using daily diary d...

Previous research has suggested that Facebook use can lead to adverse romantic relationship outcomes due to interpersonal conflicts, interactions with potential romantic alternatives, and jealousy. However, these associations have been explored mainly with undergraduates, focusing primarily on conflict rather than emotional disengagement. The curre...

BACKGROUND The widespread availability and cost-effectiveness of new-wave, software-based Audience Response Systems (ARSs) has expanded the possibilities of collecting health data from hard-to-reach populations, including youth. However, with all survey methods, biases in the data may exist because of participant nonresponse. OBJECTIVE Our goals w...

Background: The widespread availability and cost-effectiveness of new-wave software-based audience response systems (ARSs) have expanded the possibilities of collecting health data from hard-to-reach populations, including youth. However, with all survey methods, biases in the data may exist because of participant nonresponse. Objective: The aim...

BACKGROUND Background: High rates of mental illness, stress, and suicidality among teens represent a major public health concern in the United States; however, rates of treatment remain low, partially due to barriers that could be mitigated with effective, evidence-based telemental health (TMH) resources. OBJECTIVE Objective: TMH resource usage by...

Background: High rates of mental illness, stress, and suicidality among teens constitute a major public health concern in the United States. However, treatment rates remain low, partially because of barriers that could be mitigated with tech-based telemental health (TMH) resources, separate from or in addition to traditional care. Objective: Thi...

In this study, we examined problematic mobile phone use, depression, and technology interference among 223 mothers of children aged 1 to 5, who were recruited from Amazon’s mTurk. As an extension of previous work on the topic, we also examined the time mothers reported spending in each of the parenting domains. Most mothers (76.7%–100%) reported th...

Background This study presents findings on the impact of providing patients with their implantable device data on patients’ satisfaction, engagement, healthcare utilization and provider's perceptions of this practice. Remote monitoring of implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) improves patient care through timely delivery of ICD data to the...

In this naturalistic study, our aim was to examine the extent to which alcohol consumption affected perceptions of one’s own and one’s friend’s ability to consent to sexual activity. We surveyed 160 adult bargoers in pairs about their own and their friends’ alcohol consumption, intoxication symptoms, and ability to consent to sexual activity. On av...

Sexting deception was explored in a sample of 272 U.S. adults (average age = 32.22 years) recruited through Amazon’s MTurk. Overall, 79% had sexted with romantic partners, and 43% had sexted with those they knew only online. Additionally, 50–63% had lied about what they were wearing, doing, or their sexual intentions, more frequently lying to those...

In this study, we provide a snapshot of cyber abuse behaviours among students at a single, mid‐sized public commuter university in the United States. The goal of this study is to provide helpful information that can guide universities when creating cyber‐civility policies, information that is currently lacking in Higher Education. We examine recent...

Introduction A sizeable number of youth are currently struggling with anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts, yet many will not receive treatment. We sought to better understand if immediate response technology (IRT) could be used to gather mental health care data and educate youth on telemental health (TMH) resources. Methods Using an IRT imb...

Objectives Our objectives were to measure experts’ opinions and develop consensus via the Delphi process on the barriers, applications, and concerns associated with telemental health (TMH) for youth. Materials and methods We delivered 3 online surveys over 2 months in Summer, 2016–2025 adult experts, including adults who experienced youth depressi...

Objective: Telemental health (TMH) resources are plentiful; however, we know little about college students' opinions about such resources. We aimed to examine students' previous use of and willingness to use several types of TMH resources. Participants: Students (N = 662) from two U.S. Midwestern colleges participated. Methods: Using an online...

Back burners are desired prospective romantic/sexual partners that people communicate with to establish a future romantic or sexual relationship. We surveyed 658 college students about the extent to which they reported using various positive relationship maintenance strategies (positivity, openness, assurances) during communication with their most...

Recent advances in mobile technology have allowed individuals to engage in sexting (i.e., sharing sexual words and images via technology). Researchers have examined the prevalence and correlates of sexting, but differences in samples and definitions make it difficult to develop a cohesive picture of adult sexting. This study extends our understandi...

In this study, we analyzed the sexting laws of 50 states in the United States (U.S.) and the District of Columbia, as well as five English-speaking international countries (Australia, Canada, England, New Zealand, and South Africa). We also examined laws related to aggravated circumstances, such as in cases of revenge porn. Our analyses revealed co...

We examined the extent to which 262 adults, recruited from both a U.S. university sample and Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, believed the identity of a 13-year-old boy or girl persona in an online chat room. Sixteen undergraduate confederates (aged 19-38) followed two basic biographical sketches (Amber or James) and were instructed to “chat like a teenag...

Drastically different samples and definitions of sexting have contributed to a mixed picture of the prevalence of adult sexting and associated individual and relationship characteristics. In this study, we extend work on adult sexting by using a nationally-representative sample of U.S. and Canadian adults, using a more nuanced statistical approach...

Technology devices are widely used today, creating opportunities to connect and communicate with distant others while also potentially disrupting communication and interactions between those who are physically present (i.e., technoference or phubbing). These disruptions in couple and coparenting relationships have the potential to negatively impact...

In this study, we examined the extent to which computerized linguistic analysis of natural language data from chat transcripts of Internet child sex stings predicted recidivism among 334 convicted offenders. Using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) program, we found that reoffenders (including simultaneous and previous offenders) differed...

Our understanding of the prevalence, correlates, predictors, and outcomes of sexting is increasing; however, little is known about potential positive aspects of this emerging behavior, and whether the consequences of sexting vary by gender or relationship type (committed vs. casual). Using a sample of 352 undergraduate students (106 men, 246 women)...

We analyzed chat transcripts from 590 undercover Internet sex stings across the US, using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count software program to examine trends in sexual word usage, total word usage, and clout (a measure conveying social dominance) for convicted child sex offenders and undercover agents. Offenders and agents varied greatly in th...

Social media provides one route to behaviors that may be potentially harmful to romantic relationships, such as communicating with alternative partners, which can sometimes create relationship conflict, breakups, or divorce. Limited empirical evidence exists concerning social media infidelity-related behaviors and marital relationships. This study...

In this exploratory study, we examined undergraduates’ (_N_ = 298) knowledge of their university’s social media policies, understanding of free speech and privacy protections, opinions about university monitoring and discipline for personal social media posts, and perceptions of fairness regarding recent cases of student discipline for personal soc...

The majority of U.S. adults now own and use cell phones, computers, tablets, and more. This abundance of technology likely results in brief interruptions in family interactions, which has been termed “technoference” (technology interference). Researchers who examine technoference in couple relationships have found that those who report greater tech...

In this study, we examined online deception across four different online venues (i.e., social media, online dating, anonymous chat rooms, and sexual websites) in a sample of 272 U.S. adults (average age = 32.22 years) recruited through Amazon’s MTurk. Few of the participants (16%–32%) reported that they were or would be always honest across these s...

In this study, we examined the links between Internet addiction, engagement in online erotica (including pornography usage and usage of sex-based Internet chat sites), and engagement in risky online sexual behaviors, in this case, sending sexually-explicit pictures to those known only online (i.e., sexting) and expecting to engage in offline sex wi...

We examined the role of sexting coercion as a component of the intimate partner abuse (IPA) construct among young adults to determine whether sexting coercion would emerge alongside other forms of partner aggression as a cumulative risk factor for psychological, sexual, and attachment problems. In a sample of 885 undergraduates (301 men and 584 wom...

Individuals in pursuit of, or currently in, a romantic relationship typically communicate via technology, extending to sexting with one another. Sexting is commonly understood as the sending and receiving of sexually suggestive or sexually explicit photos, video, or text via cell phone or other technologies. The characteristics that fuel whether on...

While social media can have significant benefits for organizations, the social media presences and postings of employees can be problematic for organizations. This is especially true when employees have connections to co-workers and managers. Workers posting content deemed inappropriate or detrimental to the organization has led to a significant nu...

This study examined the prevalence and correlates of sexting (i.e., sending sexual messages via mobile phones) within a sample of married/cohabiting couples (180 wives and 175 husbands). Married adults do sext each other, but it is much less common than within young adult relationships, and consists mainly of sexy or intimate talk (29% reported eng...

In this quasi-experimental mixed methods study, we examined the effectiveness of a faculty-to-faculty mentoring program to increase student success rates in online courses at an American university. Over one semester, 24 faculty mentees worked with 6 faculty mentors on improving course organization and implementing student engagement techniques. Us...

In this study, we examined the relationships between sexting coercion, physical sex coercion, intimate partner violence, and mental health and trauma symptoms within a sample of 480 young adult undergraduates (160 men and 320 women). Approximately one fifth of the sample indicated that they had engaged in sexting when they did not want to. Those wh...

This study examined the role of Facebook friends lists in identifying potential sexual and committed relationship alternatives and the effects this had on relationship investment in a sample of 371 young adult undergraduates. A Facebook versus memory experimental protocol was developed to test whether Facebook friends lists act as primers for recog...

In this study, we examined the prevalence of recording and posting illegal material among 442 young adult undergraduates (aged 18-27) and the relationship between the frequency of this behavior, social media use, antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), and borderline personality disorder (BPD). Overall, 13% of the sample had posted illegal activity...

The term “back burner” describes a desired potential romantic/sexual partner with whom one communicates with the intent of establishing a future romantic or sexual connection. Contemporary communication technologies (e.g., mobile phones, social networking applications) facilitate connections with back burners. Two survey studies (Ns = 347, 374) sho...

In this study, we examined texting behaviours, text message characteristics (textese) of actual sent text messages and the relationships between texting, textese and literacy abilities in a sample of 183 American undergraduates. As compared to previous naturalistic and experimental studies with English-speaking adults, both texting frequency and te...

We examined the effectiveness of a community of practice (CoP) model for introducing tablets to 139 faculty members at a higher education institution. Using a CoP within a systems model, we used large- and small-group mentorship to foster collaboration among faculty members. Most faculty members agreed that the project was well organized and activi...

In this study, we examined the prevalence of lying during sexting in a sample of 155 young adult college students. More than one third (37%) of those who had ever had a committed relationship and approximately half (48%) of active sexters (i.e., those who had ever sent a sexual text message) had lied to their committed partners during sexting about...