Online social support perceived by Facebook users and its effects on stress coping

Abstract

Online social support perceived by Facebook users and its effect on stress coping were examined in this study with a sample of 518 college students, who completed a conventional or online survey form, in which they responded to items regarding demographic information, Facebook use, social support from Facebook friends, resilience, and feeling of stress. Four important findings were found: First, the participants reported having received more information and appraisal support than emotional support. Second, Facebook users who frequently used embedded services (i.e., News Feed, Photos, Events, Groups, and Chat) reported having received greater levels of social support than those who occasionally or seldom used these services. Third, Facebook users’ perceived social support and resilience were positively correlated with each other, and were both negatively correlated with feeling of stress. Finally, Facebook social support significantly accounted for the variability of stress, after taking into account the effect of resilience. The results are discussed in terms of characteristics of online social support, implications for coping stress in workplace, and suggestions for future research.