Scholarlink

Background <p>Loneliness is associated with all-cause mortality among US adults. Although social media is increasingly used for alleviating loneliness among adults, the relative potency of real-life emotional support and emotional support from social media to alleviate loneliness is not known.</p> Objective <p>To assess associations between real-life emotional support versus social-media-based emotional support and loneliness among a nationally representative sample of US adults.</p> Design and Participants <p>We assessed 1512 US adults ages 30–70&#xa0;years recruited in July and August of 2023.</p> Main Measures <p>Loneliness was measured using the perceived social isolation subscale of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). Real-life emotional support was assessed using items adapted from the PROMIS emotional support subscale, and social-media-based emotional support was measured with the exact wording of the real-life scale replacing “real-life” with “social media.”</p> Key Results <p>Logistic regression assessed associations between real-life emotional support versus social-media-based support and loneliness while controlling for seven sociodemographic variables and integrating survey weights to make results nationally representative. In model 1, which examined real-life emotional support and loneliness, compared with those in the highest quartile of real-life emotional support, those in the lowest quartile had eight times the odds of loneliness (AOR = 8.14; 95% CI, 5.35, 12.39). In model 2, which examined social-media-based emotional support and loneliness, compared with those in the highest quartile of social-media-based emotional support, those in the lowest quartile had 45% increased odds of loneliness (AOR = 1.45; 95% CI, 1.05, 2.00). In model 3, a fully adjusted multivariable model that included both independent variables, only low real-life emotional support retained its significant association with loneliness (<i>p </i>&lt; 0.001) while social-media-based emotional support did not (<i>p </i>= 0.37).</p> Conclusions <p>Social-media-based emotional support is less strongly associated with loneliness compared with real-life emotional support. Longitudinal and qualitative studies can elucidate the reasons for these associations.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Real-Life Emotional Support, Social-Media-Based Emotional Support, and Loneliness Among US Adults: A Nationally Representative Study

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年8月4日

查看全文
  • Geethika Koneru,
  • Hyosin Kim,
  • Memuna Aslam,
  • Jessica R. Gorman,
  • Kari-Lyn K. Sakuma,
  • Cesar A. Arredondo,
  • Brian A. Primack

摘要

Background

Loneliness is associated with all-cause mortality among US adults. Although social media is increasingly used for alleviating loneliness among adults, the relative potency of real-life emotional support and emotional support from social media to alleviate loneliness is not known.

Objective

To assess associations between real-life emotional support versus social-media-based emotional support and loneliness among a nationally representative sample of US adults.

Design and Participants

We assessed 1512 US adults ages 30–70 years recruited in July and August of 2023.

Main Measures

Loneliness was measured using the perceived social isolation subscale of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). Real-life emotional support was assessed using items adapted from the PROMIS emotional support subscale, and social-media-based emotional support was measured with the exact wording of the real-life scale replacing “real-life” with “social media.”

Key Results

Logistic regression assessed associations between real-life emotional support versus social-media-based support and loneliness while controlling for seven sociodemographic variables and integrating survey weights to make results nationally representative. In model 1, which examined real-life emotional support and loneliness, compared with those in the highest quartile of real-life emotional support, those in the lowest quartile had eight times the odds of loneliness (AOR = 8.14; 95% CI, 5.35, 12.39). In model 2, which examined social-media-based emotional support and loneliness, compared with those in the highest quartile of social-media-based emotional support, those in the lowest quartile had 45% increased odds of loneliness (AOR = 1.45; 95% CI, 1.05, 2.00). In model 3, a fully adjusted multivariable model that included both independent variables, only low real-life emotional support retained its significant association with loneliness (p < 0.001) while social-media-based emotional support did not (p = 0.37).

Conclusions

Social-media-based emotional support is less strongly associated with loneliness compared with real-life emotional support. Longitudinal and qualitative studies can elucidate the reasons for these associations.