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Facebook as a source of social connectedness in older adults
Citation
Sinclair, TJ and Grieve, R, Facebook as a source of social connectedness in older adults, Computers in Human Behavior, 66 pp. 363-369. ISSN 0747-5632 (2017) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
DOI: doi:10.1016/j.chb.2016.10.003
Abstract
This study examines for the first time whether - and subsequently the extent to which - social connectedness can be derived from Facebook in a population of older Facebook users. Participants (N = 280) were aged between 55 and 81 years (Mage = 61.28 years). Exploratory factor analysis (maximum likelihood with direct oblimin rotation) revealed that Facebook social connectedness emerged as a separate factor to offline social connectedness, with correlations between the factors indicating that they were distinct constructs. In addition, participants reported levels of Facebook-derived social connectedness similar to those seen in younger samples in previous research. Future directions for research include identifying the mechanisms by which Facebook social connectedness might be associated with positive outcomes in older populations. Given the global rate of population ageing, these findings have important implications in terms of the delivery of social capital in older adults.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | ageing, belongingness, Facebook, Facebook social connectedness, older adults, online social capital, social connectedness, social networking sites |
Research Division: | Psychology and Cognitive Sciences |
Research Group: | Psychology |
Research Field: | Social and Community Psychology |
Objective Division: | Expanding Knowledge |
Objective Group: | Expanding Knowledge |
Objective Field: | Expanding Knowledge in Psychology and Cognitive Sciences |
UTAS Author: | Sinclair, TJ (Miss Tara Sinclair) |
UTAS Author: | Grieve, R (Dr Rachel Grieve) |
ID Code: | 111937 |
Year Published: | 2017 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 24 |
Deposited By: | Psychology |
Deposited On: | 2016-10-17 |
Last Modified: | 2018-08-24 |
Downloads: | 0 |
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