When Facebook is easier than face-to-face: Social support derived from Facebook in socially anxious individuals

Impact of Social Media on Social Anxiety: A Systematic Review

“…Social anxiety predicted the continuance intention to interact with other people on Facebook and, together with online social anxiety, accounted for 44% of the continuance intention. Indian and Grieve [41] found no diferences between low and high socially anxious individuals in Facebook social support. There were signiicant association in both groups between Facebook social support and subjective well-being, as well as between Facebook social support and oline social support.…”

Exploring how social networking sites impact youth with anxiety: A qualitative study of Facebook stressors among adolescents with an anxiety disorder diagnosis

“…Strong social support facilitates coping with various life stressors. Past evidence supports that adolescent users of Facebook may perceive being on Facebook as a way of increasing social support (Indian & Grieve, 2014;Rauch, Strobel, Bella, Odachowski, & Bloom, 2014). When negative rumours get started on Facebook, however, this very support system is threatened, and may make coping with anxiety more difficult.…”

“…It is known that adolescents with social anxiety disorder (SAD) are more likely to use SNSs rather than face-to-face interactions to garner social support (Indian & Grieve, 2014;Weidman et al, 2012). However, Facebook use has limited ability to contribute positively to the well-being of individuals with SAD and may eventually result in increased propensity for poor outcomes and lower quality of life (Indian & Grieve, 2014;Weidman et al, 2012). In a recent study, Shaw et al (2015), found that greater SAD symptoms predicted increased passive Facebook use and this relationship was mediated by brooding, a known risk factor for SAD.…”

Who gets hooked on Facebook? An exploratory typology of problematic Facebook users

“…It is also supported by other empirical research. For example, lonely people use Facebook to connect with others (Clayton, Osborne, Miller, & Oberle, 2013), socially anxious people perceive increases in social support and well-being from Facebook use (Indian & Grieve, 2014), and individuals with a preference for online social interaction can develop problematic use of Facebook (Lee et al, 2012). It is likely that this pathway does not necessitate a preference for online social interaction.…”