When perceptions defy reality: The relationships between depression and actual and perceived Facebook social support
- PMID: 27126138
- DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2016.01.048
When perceptions defy reality: The relationships between depression and actual and perceived Facebook social support
Abstract
Background: Although the relationship between depression and "offline" social support is well established, numerous questions surround the relationship between "online" social support and depression. We explored this issue by examining the social support dynamics that characterize the way individuals with varying levels of depression (Study 1) and SCID-diagnosed clinically depressed and non-depressed individuals (Study 2) interact with Facebook, the world's largest online social network.
Method: Using a novel methodology, we examined how disclosing positive or negative information on Facebook influences the amount of social support depressed individuals (a) actually receive (based on actual social support transactions recorded on Facebook walls) and (b) think they receive (based on subjective assessments) from their Facebook network.
Results: Contrary to prior research indicating that depression correlates with less actual social support from "offline" networks, across both studies depression was positively correlated with social support from Facebook networks when participants disclosed negative information (p=.02 in Study 1 and p=.06 in Study 2). Yet, depression was negatively correlated with how much social support participants thought they received from their Facebook networks (p=.005 in Study 1 and p=.001 in Study 2).
Limitations: The sample size was relatively small in Study 2, reflecting difficulties of recruiting individuals with Major Depressive Disorder.
Conclusions: These results demonstrate that an asymmetry characterizes the relationship between depression and different types of Facebook social support and further identify perceptions of Facebook social support as a potential intervention target. (243 words; 250 max).
Keywords: Cognitive bias; Depression; Emotional disclosure; Facebook; Social support.
Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Similar articles
-
A Systematic review of the validity of screening depression through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat.J Affect Disord. 2021 May 1;286:360-369. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.08.091. Epub 2021 Feb 8. J Affect Disord. 2021. PMID: 33691948 Review.
-
Is social network site usage related to depression? A meta-analysis of Facebook-depression relations.J Affect Disord. 2019 Apr 1;248:65-72. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2019.01.026. Epub 2019 Jan 27. J Affect Disord. 2019. PMID: 30711871 Review.
-
Are Facebook "Friends" Helpful? Development of a Facebook-Based Measure of Social Support and Examination of Relationships Among Depression, Quality of Life, and Social Support.Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2015 Sep;18(9):499-505. doi: 10.1089/cyber.2014.0538. Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2015. PMID: 26348809
-
Feeling bad on Facebook: depression disclosures by college students on a social networking site.Depress Anxiety. 2011 Jun;28(6):447-55. doi: 10.1002/da.20805. Epub 2011 Mar 11. Depress Anxiety. 2011. PMID: 21400639 Free PMC article.
-
Information disclosure and control on Facebook: are they two sides of the same coin or two different processes?Cyberpsychol Behav. 2009 Jun;12(3):341-5. doi: 10.1089/cpb.2008.0226. Cyberpsychol Behav. 2009. PMID: 19250020
Cited by
-
Research on the mechanism of short video information interaction behavior of college students with psychological disorders based on grounded theory.BMC Public Health. 2023 Nov 16;23(1):2256. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-17211-4. BMC Public Health. 2023. PMID: 37974096 Free PMC article.
-
A scoping review of social media in child, adolescents and young adults: research findings in depression, anxiety and other clinical challenges.BJPsych Open. 2023 Aug 11;9(5):e152. doi: 10.1192/bjo.2023.523. BJPsych Open. 2023. PMID: 37563766 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Sense of community and mental health: a cross-sectional analysis from a household survey in Wisconsin.Fam Med Community Health. 2023 Jun;11(2):e001971. doi: 10.1136/fmch-2022-001971. Fam Med Community Health. 2023. PMID: 37399294 Free PMC article.
-
The Empowering Role of Web-Based Help Seeking on Depressive Symptoms: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.J Med Internet Res. 2023 Feb 2;25:e36964. doi: 10.2196/36964. J Med Internet Res. 2023. PMID: 36729571 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Social networking smartphone applications and emotional health among college students: The moderating role of social support.Sci Prog. 2022 Oct-Dec;105(4):368504221144439. doi: 10.1177/00368504221144439. Sci Prog. 2022. PMID: 36529902 Free PMC article.
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Medical