"Their Page is Still Up": Social Media and Coping with Loss. Issue 5 (4th July 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hoffman, Beth L.; Shensa, Ariel; Escobar-Viera, César G.; Sidani, Jaime E.; Miller, Elizabeth; Primack, Brian A.
• Is Part Of: Journal of loss and trauma. Volume 26:Issue 5(2021)
• Page Start: 451
• Page End: 468
• Publication Date: 2021-07-04
• Subjects: Social media -- young adults -- death -- grief -- bereavement; Loss (Psychology) -- Periodicals; Adjustment (Psychology) -- Periodicals; Life change events -- Periodicals; Interpersonal relations -- Periodicals; 154.4
• DOI: 10.1080/15325024.2020.1820227
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1532-5024

Abstract

Abstract: Young adults use social media (SM) to share life events, including loss of loved ones. In a national sample of U.S. young adults ( n = 1, 119), "grievers" were identified as those who had experienced the loss of a loved one who had a SM account ( n = 415, 37%). Logistic regression analyses found that grievers and non-grievers did not differ by sociodemographic status. Content analysis of open-ended items revealed four ways in which SM had a positive influence and five ways in which it had a negative influence on grievers. This study could inform the development of strategies to optimize SM use among grievers.