Year: 2019
Type: article
Study designs: Randomized Controlled Trial, Clinical Trial
Abstract: PURPOSE: Studies with experimental designs in which the association between participants' subjective well-being and their use of social media is studied remain rare. This study tested the effect of abstaining from social media use on participants' well-being, affect, perceived stress, and sense of perceived loneliness. DESIGN AND METHODS: Randomized, controlled design. Sixty-eight participants were randomized to one of two conditions. FINDINGS: Those who abstained from social media use, compared with those in the control group, evidenced a decline in life satisfaction, an increase in negative affect, and an increase in loneliness. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Excessive social media use poses deleterious consequences for users, but abstinence may not necessarily exact positive changes; this outcome is dependent on the functions for which social media are used.
Source: Perspectives In Psychiatric Care
DOI: 10.1111/ppc.12431
Authors: Zahir Vally, Caroline G. D'Souza
Institution: United Arab Emirates University
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2968185913