The web link given is unpaginated. I was able to find a paginated version via EBSCOhost but I couldn't find a way to link to that. Here's the abstract:
Research has shown that television viewers form interpersonal relationships, called parasocial relationships, with various kinds of personalities on many different kinds of shows. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether similar relationships form between romance novel readers and heroes and heroines. Fifteen women romance novel readers volunteered to participate in three focus groups in which they discussed romance novels and the impact of the novels on their own relationships. The results suggest that readers form intimate parasocial relationships with the characters in romance novels. The participants described situations in their own lives in which they have dealt with everyday interaction, conflict, and intimacy similar to the characters in romance novels. Discussion focuses on the implications of the findings.
The web link given is unpaginated. I was able to find a paginated version via EBSCOhost but I couldn't find a way to link to that. Here's the abstract: