Socializing targets of older adults’ SNS use: Social strain mediates the relations between older adults’ SNS use with friends and well-being outcomes

Studies have yielded mixed findings regarding the relation between older adults’ social networking site (SNS) use and well-being. Drawing on socioemotional selectivity theory, we sought to examine whether older adults’ SNS use with different socializing targets (i.e., family vs friends) would differ...

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Main Authors: TNG, Yue Qi Germaine, YANG, Hwajin
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Language:English
Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2022
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Online Access:https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3620
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/4878/viewcontent/20563051221094768_pvoa_nc.pdf
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spelling sg-smu-ink.soss_research-48782022-07-14T08:36:54Z Socializing targets of older adults’ SNS use: Social strain mediates the relations between older adults’ SNS use with friends and well-being outcomes TNG, Yue Qi Germaine YANG, Hwajin Studies have yielded mixed findings regarding the relation between older adults’ social networking site (SNS) use and well-being. Drawing on socioemotional selectivity theory, we sought to examine whether older adults’ SNS use with different socializing targets (i.e., family vs friends) would differentially predict global, social, and mental well-being outcomes indexed by life satisfaction, loneliness, and depressive symptoms, respectively. Furthermore, we examined whether social support and social strain would mediate, in parallel, the relations between SNS use and well-being outcomes. We recruited healthy, community-dwelling older adults (ages 60–93 years, N = 69). Using the PROCESS macro, we found that SNS use with friends, but not family, predicted poorer life satisfaction and greater loneliness via increased social strain. However, SNS use with neither friends nor family was linked to depressive symptoms. Furthermore, social support failed to account for the relations between SNS use and well-being indices. These results held when we controlled for a host of covariates—age, gender, education level, income, marital status, and overall physical health. Our findings reconcile disparate findings in the literature by elucidating that older adults’ SNS use with different socializing targets asymmetrically predicts life satisfaction and loneliness via varying degrees of perceived social strain. 2022-04-01T07:00:00Z text application/pdf https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3620 info:doi/10.1177/20563051221094768 https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/4878/viewcontent/20563051221094768_pvoa_nc.pdf http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Research Collection School of Social Sciences eng Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University life satisfaction loneliness mental well-being older adults social networking sites social strain social well-being Gerontology Social Media Social Psychology
institution Singapore Management University
building SMU Libraries
continent Asia
country Singapore
Singapore
content_provider SMU Libraries
collection InK@SMU
language English
topic life satisfaction
loneliness
mental well-being
older adults
social networking sites
social strain
social well-being
Gerontology
Social Media
Social Psychology
spellingShingle life satisfaction
loneliness
mental well-being
older adults
social networking sites
social strain
social well-being
Gerontology
Social Media
Social Psychology
TNG, Yue Qi Germaine
YANG, Hwajin
Socializing targets of older adults’ SNS use: Social strain mediates the relations between older adults’ SNS use with friends and well-being outcomes
description Studies have yielded mixed findings regarding the relation between older adults’ social networking site (SNS) use and well-being. Drawing on socioemotional selectivity theory, we sought to examine whether older adults’ SNS use with different socializing targets (i.e., family vs friends) would differentially predict global, social, and mental well-being outcomes indexed by life satisfaction, loneliness, and depressive symptoms, respectively. Furthermore, we examined whether social support and social strain would mediate, in parallel, the relations between SNS use and well-being outcomes. We recruited healthy, community-dwelling older adults (ages 60–93 years, N = 69). Using the PROCESS macro, we found that SNS use with friends, but not family, predicted poorer life satisfaction and greater loneliness via increased social strain. However, SNS use with neither friends nor family was linked to depressive symptoms. Furthermore, social support failed to account for the relations between SNS use and well-being indices. These results held when we controlled for a host of covariates—age, gender, education level, income, marital status, and overall physical health. Our findings reconcile disparate findings in the literature by elucidating that older adults’ SNS use with different socializing targets asymmetrically predicts life satisfaction and loneliness via varying degrees of perceived social strain.
format text
author TNG, Yue Qi Germaine
YANG, Hwajin
author_facet TNG, Yue Qi Germaine
YANG, Hwajin
author_sort TNG, Yue Qi Germaine
title Socializing targets of older adults’ SNS use: Social strain mediates the relations between older adults’ SNS use with friends and well-being outcomes
title_short Socializing targets of older adults’ SNS use: Social strain mediates the relations between older adults’ SNS use with friends and well-being outcomes
title_full Socializing targets of older adults’ SNS use: Social strain mediates the relations between older adults’ SNS use with friends and well-being outcomes
title_fullStr Socializing targets of older adults’ SNS use: Social strain mediates the relations between older adults’ SNS use with friends and well-being outcomes
title_full_unstemmed Socializing targets of older adults’ SNS use: Social strain mediates the relations between older adults’ SNS use with friends and well-being outcomes
title_sort socializing targets of older adults’ sns use: social strain mediates the relations between older adults’ sns use with friends and well-being outcomes
publisher Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University
publishDate 2022
url https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3620
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/4878/viewcontent/20563051221094768_pvoa_nc.pdf
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