KMAN Publication Inc. (KMANPUB) Applied Family Therapy Journal (AFTJ) 3041-8798 In Press 2027 07 01 The Process of Formation and Continuation of Extramarital Emotional Relationships in Cyberspace: A Grounded Theory Study The Process of Formation and Continuation of Extramarital Emotional Relationships in Cyberspace: A Grounded Theory Study 1 16 EN Journal Article 2026 07 22 <p><strong>Objective:</strong> This study aimed to explain the process through which extramarital emotional relationships are formed and maintained in cyberspace and to identify the principal factors influencing their development and continuation.</p> <p><strong>Methods and Materials:</strong> This qualitative study employed grounded theory based on the systematic approach of Strauss and Corbin. Participants comprised 16 specialists and counselors in family studies and educational sciences who were selected through purposive sampling according to relevant professional expertise and practical experience. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. Data collection and analysis proceeded iteratively to identify concepts, categories, their interrelationships, and the central phenomenon underlying the process of online extramarital emotional involvement.</p> <p><strong>Findings:</strong> The resulting paradigmatic model explained the formation and continuation of extramarital emotional relationships in cyberspace through six interconnected dimensions. Causal conditions comprised individual, emotional, marital, communicational, psychological, and motivational factors. The core phenomenon emerged as a gradual process beginning with online interactions, progressing through emotional intimacy and emotional attachment, and culminating in the expansion and deepening of the relationship. Contextual conditions included characteristics of cyberspace, family and cultural environments, and broader social interactions and living circumstances. Intervening conditions encompassed individual and psychological characteristics, moral and social values and constraints, supportive resources, and coping skills. Strategies involved online emotional interactions, management and maintenance of the virtual relationship, and concealment or behavioral justification. Consequences were organized into individual-psychological, marital, and family domains.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> Extramarital emotional relationships in cyberspace represent a multidimensional and progressive process shaped by the interaction of personal, relational, psychological, sociocultural, and technological conditions. The proposed grounded theory framework provides an integrated explanation of this phenomenon and may inform future research as well as the development of preventive and counseling interventions tailored to couples experiencing vulnerabilities related to online emotional relationships.</p> https://journals.kmanpub.com/index.php/aftj/article/download/6539/12164