Adolescents’ Online Communication and Self-Disclosure to Online and Offline Acquaintances : Differential Effects of Social Anxiety and Depressed Moods

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216224%3A14230%2F24%3A00139315" target="_blank" >RIV/00216224:14230/24:00139315 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://econtent.hogrefe.com/doi/10.1027/1864-1105/a000383" target="_blank" >https://econtent.hogrefe.com/doi/10.1027/1864-1105/a000383</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105/a000383" target="_blank" >10.1027/1864-1105/a000383</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Adolescents’ Online Communication and Self-Disclosure to Online and Offline Acquaintances : Differential Effects of Social Anxiety and Depressed Moods

Original language description

Adolescents commonly use the Internet to communicate with their acquaintances. This study examines how social anxiety and depressed moods influence adolescents’ online communication – both its frequency and the level of self-disclosure. We propose that these relationships are mediated by adolescents’ preference for online social interaction (POSI), which helps explain the mixed results of previous research. Moreover, since the communication patterns may differ based on communication partners, we differentiate between online and offline acquaintances. Using structural equation modeling, we tested our hypotheses on survey data from 1,530 Czech adolescents (ages 13–18, 50.1% female). Our results suggest that while social anxiety is directly related to less online communication, indirectly, through higher POSI, it is related to more online communication. Notably, these associations are canceled out in communication with online acquaintances, but the inhibitions predominate in communication with offline acquaintances. Experiencing depressed moods is associated with more extensive online communication, both directly and via POSI, indicating that adolescents use online communication to cope with negative feelings. Theoretically, our findings support both the rich-get-richer and social-compensation hypotheses and suggest they are complementary. Moreover, they emphasize the role of adolescents’ perceptions of online communication within the social-compensation mechanism.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

50800 - Media and communications

Project

<a href="/en/project/GX19-27828X" target="_blank" >GX19-27828X: Modelling the future: Understanding the impact of technology on adolescent’s well-being</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2024

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Journal of Media Psychology

ISSN

1864-1105

e-ISSN

2151-2388

Volume of the periodical

36

Issue of the periodical within the volume

2

Country of publishing house

DE - GERMANY

Number of pages

12

Pages from-to

132-143

UT code for WoS article

001007793500002

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85162650001