Table 1

Comprehensive information on reviewed articles

AuthorTheorySample characteristicsStudy designPlatformInvestigated variablesDependent variableMediator/ moderatorControls
Muise et al. (2009) N = 308, 75% female, mean age = 18.7 years (SD = 0.97). Average daily FB use = 38.93 minutes (SD = 32.13); 68 responses to open-ended questionSurveyFacebookTime spent on FB, trust, trait jealousyFB jealousyGender, personality factors (trait jealousy, trust, self-esteem), and relationship factors (relational uncertainty and commitment)
Mod (2010) N = 11, 63.6% female, mean age = n.a., age range = 21–24 yearsInterviewFacebookThemes: relationship status, public display of affection, photographs
Elphinston and Noller (2011) N = 342, 57% female, mean age = 19.75 years (SD = 1.79)SurveyFacebookRomantic jealousy (cognitive, surveillance behavior), age, gender, FB intrusion, length of relationship, length of FB membership, time spent on FB (hours/week)Relational satisfactionMediators: romantic jealousy, surveillance behavior
Utz and Beukeboom (2011) N = 194, 71.1% female, mean age = 22 years (SD = 3.54)SurveySocial mediaMonitoring behavior, trait jealousy, need for popularity, SNS use (profile maintenance, grooming), relationship satisfaction, login frequency, SNS intensitySNS jealousy, SNS relationship happinessModerator: self-esteemGender
Dijkstra et al. (2013) N = 312, 62.8% female, mean age: men (homosexual) = 28.1 years (SD = 12.7), men (heterosexual) = 29.3 years (SD = 11.1), women (homosexual) = 32.4 years (SD = 15.3), women (heterosexual) = 28.2 years (SD = 12.2)SurveyInternetJealousy emotions (threat, betrayal, anger), genderDifferent scores of emotions according to gender, and sexual orientation in ten jealousy-evoking scenarios of partner behavior
Marshall et al. (2013) Attachment theory, actor–partner interdependence modelStudy 1: N = 225, 89.3% female, mean age of males = 21.44 years (SD = 7.02), mean age of females = 22.53 (SD = 5.16); Study 2: N = 68, mean age of males = 26.93 years (SD = 5.11), mean age of females = 25.36 years (SD = 4.84)Study 1: cross-sectional survey
Study 2: survey and diary
FacebookStudy 1: anxious attachment, avoidance attachment, self-esteem, gender, FB minutes, number of friends
Study 2: attachment, anxiety, avoidance, global (trust, satisfaction, commitment, intimacy, passion, love), FB minutes, FB checking
FB jealousy, surveillanceStudy 1:
Mediators: relationship quality (intimacy, satisfaction, commitment, passion, love, trust)
Study 2:
Mediators: trust, actor's daily jealousy
Study 1: relationship status
Study 2: trait neuroticism
McAndrew and Shah (2013) N = 40, 60% female, mean age not reportedSurveyFacebookMate guarding, distressing partner activities, jealous feelings, relationship confidence, fear of rivals, fear of poachers, fear of leaving, spyingSelf vs. partner's hypothetical responses to jealousy
Muscanell et al. (2013) N = 226, 69.9% female, mean age = 19 years (SD = 1.75)ExperimentFacebookGender, FB privacy settings, presence of couple photosEmotions (jealousy, anger, hurt, disgust)
Nitzburg and Farber (2013) Attachment theoryN = 339, 63.1% female, mean age = 21.5 years (SD = 2.95)SurveySocial mediaSociodemographics, attachment style, jealousy, envy, surveillanceFace-to-face communication avoidance, feeling of intimacy with others during SNS use
Cohen et al. (2014) N = 191, 48.2% female mean age = 22.7 years (SD = 5.44)ExperimentFacebookMessage access exclusivity, negative emotion, threat perceptionEmotional and behavioral response (confrontation)Mediators: threat perception, emotions
Drouin et al. (2014) Attachment theory, the model of relationship investmentN = 148, 73.6% female, mean age = 20.59 years (SD = 4.66)SurveyFacebookAttachment anxiety, commitment, romantic alternatives on friend list, no. of friendsFB solicitationMediator: FB jealousy
Fleuriet et al. (2014) Attachment theoryN = 821, 53% female, mean age = 20.38 years (SD = 3.35)ExperimentFacebookNonverbal cues (photos, physical attractiveness, emoticons, capitalization, hyperbolic punctuation), attachment style, jealousy-provoking post, gender, relationship typeNegative emotion experienced after seeing jealousy-provoking FB post
Lucero et al. (2014) N = 23, 56.5% female, age range 13–18 yearsFocus groupSocially interactive technologiesEmergent themes: type of socially interactive technology, abusive action (monitoring), consequence, gender differences
Muise et al. (2014) Attachment theoryStudy 1: N = 160, 48% female, mean age = 19.16 years (SD = 1.68); Study 2: 108 couples, mean age = 21.05 years (SD = 0.94)Study 1: experiment
Study 2: daily experience study (diary)
FacebookGender, condition of relationship, FB search behavior, trait jealousy, trust, simulated FB site use, FB jealousy (in two studies)Jealousy, search behavior, attachment anxiety, partner monitoringModerators: gender; mediator.: attachment anxiety
Stewart et al. (2014) Uncertainty reduction theory, relational maintenance theoryN = 281, 33.6% female, mean age = 20.05 years (SD = 1.72)SurveyFacebookRelational satisfaction, uncertainty (behavioral, mutual, definitional, future), FB jealousy, relational maintenance (positivity, openness, assurances, monitoring)Relational maintenance, online monitoring
Billedo et al. (2015) N = 272, 68.75% female, mean age = 23 years (SD = 4.37)SurveyFacebookLong-distance relationship, geographically close relationship, genderFB use intensity, relational certainty, SNS strategic maintenance, SNS routine maintenance, partner surveillance, FB jealousy, commitment, relationship satisfaction, trust
Brem et al. (2015) N = 177, 63.3% female, mean age = 20.45 years (SD = 4.14)SurveyFacebookFB mate-retention tactics (care and affection, jealousy and surveillance, possession signals, punishment of infidelity threat), offline mate-retention tactics, gender, time spent on FBIntimate partner aggression (psychological aggression, physical abuse)Mediator: FB mate-retention tacticsGender, amount of time spent on FB on a typical day
Dainton and Stokes (2015) Uses and gratifications framework (also draw insights from componential model of jealousy and literature on uncertainty reduction)N = 189, 56.5% female, mean age = 21.36 years (SD = 2.30)SurveyFacebookJealousy (trait, emotional, cognitive, Facebook), maintenance motive, FB useRelationship-maintenance behavior (FB openness, positivity, assurance, monitoring) 
Fox and Moreland (2015) N = 44, 61.3% female, mean age = 23.36 years (SD = 6.79)Focus groupFacebookThemes: managing inappropriate or annoying content, being tethered, lack of privacy and control, social comparison and jealousy, relationship tension and conflict
Hudson et al. (2015) Study 1: N = 83, 50.6% female, mean age = 19.94 years (SD = 1.80); Study 2: N = 83, 53.1% female, mean age = 19.87 years (SD = 1.52); Study 3: N = 83, 54.05% female, mean age = 20.2 years (SD = 1.80)SurveyFacebookEmoticon presence, genderFB jealousy
Orosz et al. (2015) N = 292, 78.8% female, mean age = 24.92 years (SD = 6.62)SurveyFacebookFB status, length of relationship, use intensityJealousy, romantic loveFor jealousy: intensity of FB use, gender, love
For love: jealousy, length of relationship, FB use intensity, gender, age
Rueda et al. (2015) N1 = 64, 62.5% female, mean age = 16.66 years (SD = 0.8); N2 = 34 (couples), 50% female, mean age = 16.25 (SD = 0.8)Focus group, observationICTN1 themes: technology contributed to romantic jealousy; mistrust propagated partner monitoring, surveillance, and controlling behaviors; technology alerted others to unhealthy romantic relationships
N2 themes: jealousy and mistrust, instant communication and harassment, platforms contributed to misunderstanding (discuss cultural/ ethnic considerations)
Utz et al. (2015) N = 77, 76.6% female, mean age = 22.5 years (SD = 4.21)SurveyFacebook, SnapchatNeed for popularity, need for self-esteem, Snapchat jealousy, FB jealousy, social media use characteristics, motives for use
Zandbergen and Brown (2015) N = 145, 69.7% female, mean age = 20.81 years (SD = 6.04)Mixed methodSocial mediaGender, individualism and collectivism (culture); jealousy causal themes: infidelity, expectations of time and commitment, social media, self-esteemEmotional and sexual infidelity
Baker and Carreño (2016) N = 39, 46% female, mean age = n.a., age range 14–19 yearsFocus groupSocial mediaThemes: getting in (initiating contact), jealousy, monitoring (discussed with respect to partner's behavior), partner-imposed isolation, breaking off contact
Carpenter (2016) White and Mullen's jealousy modelN = 196, 86.8% female, mean age = 25.65 years (SD = 7.69)SurveyFacebookUser behavior (participants' FB use extent, partner surveillance), partner behavior (frequency of status updates, interaction with attractive people, posts on walls, becoming friends with attractive people unknown to participant), rival behavior (frequency of posts from unknown attractive people, interaction with ex-partners), FB jealousy-inducing behaviorRelational maintenance behavior (social contact, response-seeking and relational assurances), negative coping mechanisms (intention to end, willingness to engage in extra-dyadic casual sex), cognitive jealousyModerator: partner trust
Macapagal et al. (2016) N = 323, 0% female (gay, bisexual, and queer- identified men), mean age = 40.1 years (SD = 10.8)Survey (open ended items)Social mediaThemes: relationship characteristics, app usage, perceived benefits and drawbacks of app usage, app usage in relationship agreements
Nongpong and Charoensukmongkol (2016) N = 256, 72% female, mean age = 36 years (SD = 6.886)SurveyFacebookJealousy, lack of caring, loneliness, own social media use, partner's social media useIntention to break up/divorceModerator: partner's social media useRelationship characteristics
van Ouytsel et al. (2016) N = 57, 66.7% female, mean age = n.a., age range = 15–18 yearsFocus groupSocial mediaThemes: use of SNS (e.g. information seeking; relationship maintenance) when initiating a romantic relationship, during a romantic
relationship, relationship dissolution
Halpern et al. (2017) Self-affirmation theoryN = 305, 51.3% female, mean age = n.a., age range 18–65+, 55% aged 18–34 yearsSurveySocial mediaFrequency of selfie postingPerceived relationship qualityMediators: jealousy, online idealized persona, SNS photo-related conflictsAge, gender, relationship length, selfies with partners
Holmgren and Coyne (2017) The general theory of addictionN = 442, 51.6% female, mean age = 18.86 years (SD = 1.00)SurveySocial mediaPathological social media use (discussion on upward social comparison, jealousy, lack of self-control)Depression, relational aggressionMediator: self-regulationGeneral social media use
Iqbal and Jami (2017) N = 200, 50% female, mean age = 31.24 years (SD = 5.18)SurveyFacebookFB jealousy (validated structure with three factors: insecurity, inquisition, and infidelity), marital satisfaction
Moyano et al. (2017) N = 1,144; n (Spain) = 393, 65.1% females, mean age = 25 years (SD = 7.44); n (Colombia) = 600, 64.5% females, mean age = 24.7 years (SD = 7.50); n (Ecuador) = 151, 58.9% female, mean age = 22.3 years (SD = 3.03)SurveyFacebookSelf-esteem, partner conflicts and coping strategies (compromise, avoidance, interactional reactivity, separation, domination, submission), romantic partner jealousy, age, length of relationshipFB jealousy
Altakhaineh and Alnamer (2018) N = 240, 50% female, mean age = n.a., age range = 17–60+ yearsMixed methodFacebookGender, attitude toward FB posts, age, duration of FB use, reasons for sharing posts, negative emotions evoked (jealousy, hate, annoyance, demotivation, inferiority, sadness)Gender and age differences
Bevan (2018) N = 474, 78.06% female, mean age = 22.78 years (SD = 5.24)SurveySocial mediaPassword sharing, online surveillance, SNS jealousy, account monitoring, relationship length and status, no. of SNS accounts, daily time spent on SNS, age, relationship satisfaction
Daspe et al. (2018) Actor–partner interdependence modelN1 = 1,508, 86.14% females, mean age = 20.51 years (SD = 2.54); N2 = 92, 50% females, mean age = 20.14 years (SD = 2.16)SurveyFacebookFB use, relationship length (for both partners of a couple in Study 2)Intimate partner violenceMediator: FB jealousy
Demirtaş-Madran (2018) Power perspective, evolutionary perspective of gender differences, the theory of evolved gender differences, cognitive theory of jealousyN = 846, 61% female, mean age = 27.34 years (SD = 9.12)SurveyFacebookAggression (physical, verbal aggression, hostility, anger), age, self-esteem, gender, relational duration, length, relational satisfaction (cultural consideration discussed but not tested)FB jealousy
Dunn and Billett (2018*) Parental investment theoryN = 44, 52.2% female, mean age = 21.3 years (SD = 4.06)ExperimentFacebookContent of the message: message type (emotional/sexual infidelity), message direction (sent/received), participant gender (same-sex/other-sex rival)Level of distress due to message content and direction
Frampton and Fox (2018) Hyper-personal model, grounded theory approach, social comparison theory, the theory of motivated information managementN = 36, 58.3% female, mean age = 20.06 years (SD = 1.29)Focus groupSocial mediaFactors leading to retroactive jealousy: social comparison, digital remnants, relational uncertainty; managing jealousy: offensive strategy (information gathering purposes—disparage a partner's exes, avoid direct interactive information seeking, digitally fact-check); defensive strategy (reframing/cognitive appraisal, avoidance); contextual conditions—accessibility, social norms
Chang (2019) Attachment theory, goal cognition theoryN = 1,053, 59.1% female, mean age = 21.94 years (SD = 3.67)SurveyFacebookAnxious/avoidant attachment, time spent on the internet, age, genderQuiescent–agitated ambivalence, happy–dejected ambivalenceMediators: motive to belong (directive function), social vigilance (regulatory function), fear of being excluded (control function)
González-Rivera and Hernández-Gato (2019) N = 300, 50% female, mean age = 32.87 years (SD = 7.096)SurveyFacebookValidated structure: partner's FB intrusion, conflict over FB use, jealousy over FB use
Iqbal and Jami (2019) Negative effect hypothesis, self-selection hypothesisN = 302, 51.3% female, mean age = 31.14 years (SD = 5.45)SurveyFacebookTrust, FB use intensityMarital satisfactionMediators: online surveillance, FB-related jealousy
Seidman (2019) Five-factor personality modelN = 257, 58.57% female, mean age = 32.77 years (SD = 9.18)SurveyFacebookBig 5 (agreeableness, extroversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, openness)FB-related relationship difficulties (conflict, jealousy)Mediators: relationship-maintenance activities (excessive public displays, public displays and partner surveillance)FB posting frequency, age, gender, relationship length
Seidman et al. (2019) Dual-factor model (need to belong and self-presentation), belongingness/connection frameworkN1 = 93, 75.3% females, mean age = 26.91 years (SD = 9.57), N2 = 255, 58.8% females, mean age = 32.87 years (SD = 9.25)SurveyFacebookFB-oriented relationship behavior (monitoring, public display, excessive public display, private exchange), jealousy, relationship satisfactionPerceived increase in relationship closenessModerator: FB-induced jealousyWeekly hours spent on FB, frequency of checking FB, frequency of posting on FB, length of romantic involvement,
age, gender
Dunn and Ward (2020**) Parental investment theory, inclusive fitness theoryN = 76, 57.9% female, mean age = 21.5 years (SD = 4.01)ExperimentSnapchatMessage content (sexual and emotional infidelity), third-party rival (same-sex sibling, friend, stranger), gender (male/female)Respondents' imagined level of jealousy

Note(s): *Published online in 2017, ** Published online in 2019, ICT: Internet communication technology, n.a.: not available, SD: standard deviation, FB: Facebook, SNS: Social networking sites, app: mobile application

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