The associations of use of social network sites with perceived social support and loneliness
Metadatos
Mostrar el registro completo del ítemEditorial
Springer
Materia
Social network sites (SNS) Perceived social support Loneliness
Fecha
2022-01-27Referencia bibliográfica
Caba Machado, V... [et al.]. The associations of use of social network sites with perceived social support and loneliness. Curr Psychol (2022). [https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02673-9]
Resumen
Research shows that use of social network sites is associated with loneliness and this may be amplified in tertiary students
by their transition from home life, especially if they struggle to integrate with peers. The buffering effects of social support
may offer a solution and the online dimension may offer a suitable outlet for lonely and isolated students. In this study, N =
111 university students, aged 18-40, completed a frequency assessment of Instagram and WhatsApp, the Spanish version
of the UCLA loneliness scale and the Multidimensional Scale of Social Support in an online survey. The statistical analysis
was completed by Structural Equation Modeling using AMOS 25.0. The construct validity of social network sites was
established by good factor loadings for WhatsApp and Instagram, but Facebook was excluded as it did not load adequately
on to the latent measurement model, in keeping with the diminishing trend for Facebook use in young students. Loneliness
emerged as pivotal in a mediation model, and online social support from friends/significant others, emerged as salient in
the predictive model in contrast to family. However, these associations may not have the same advantageous weight for
mature students given the observed negative associations with age. Results may have implications for policy and planning
through highlighting the psychological variables that are operative in the dynamics of integration, retention, and adjustment
to tertiary level experience.