Abstract:
Drawing on the social compensation hypothesis, this study investigates whether Facebook use facilitates social connectedness for individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI), a common and debilitating medical condition that often results in social isolation. In a survey (N = 104 participants; n = 53 with TBI, n = 51 without TBI), individuals with TBI reported greater preference for self-disclosure on Facebook (vs. face-to-face) compared to noninjured individuals. For noninjured participants, a preference for Facebook self-disclosure was associated with the enactment of relational maintenance behaviors on Facebook, which was then associated with greater closeness with Facebook friends. However, no such benefits emerged for individuals with TBI, whose preference for Facebook self-disclosure was not associated with relationship maintenance behaviors on Facebook, and did not lead to greater closeness with Facebook friends. These findings show that the social compensation hypothesis has partial utility in the novel context of TBI, and suggest the need for developing technological supports to assist this vulnerable population on social media platforms.
摘要:
借鉴社会补偿假说,这项研究调查了Facebook的使用是否促进了创伤性脑损伤(TBI)患者的社交联系,一种常见且使人衰弱的医疗状况,通常会导致社会孤立。在一项调查中(N=104名参与者;患有TBI的n=53,n=51,无TBI),患有TBI的个人报告更倾向于在Facebook上自我披露(与面对面)与未受伤的人相比。对于未受伤的参与者,对Facebook自我披露的偏好与Facebook上关系维护行为的制定有关,然后与Facebook朋友的更紧密联系在一起。然而,对于患有TBI的人来说没有这样的好处,他们对Facebook自我披露的偏好与Facebook上的关系维护行为无关,并没有导致与Facebook朋友的更亲密。这些发现表明,社会补偿假说在TBI的新背景下具有部分效用,并建议需要发展技术支持来帮助社交媒体平台上的弱势群体。