Honors Theses

Date of Award

Spring 5-9-2020

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Laura Dixon

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

Interpersonal connections are a fundamental human need, and as technology becomes more ubiquitous, these connections have shifted to frequently occur online through social media platforms. Two factors that independently influence peer relations are loneliness and social anxiety. However, no study to date has concurrently examined the relation of these psychological factors, social media use, and peer relationships. As such, the aims of the current study were to 1) examine the associations between peer relationships, social media use, loneliness, and social anxiety; 2) investigate the moderating role of quality of peer relationships in the relation of social anxiety and loneliness; and 3) examine the contribution of social anxiety symptoms and loneliness in social media use. Participants were 442 undergraduate students (18.79 Mage; 58.3% female; 64.8% White) who completed self-report measures online. Preference for online social interaction was significantly associated with quality of peer, social anxiety, and loneliness in the expected directions, with social anxiety and loneliness accounting for significant variance in social media use. However, quality of peer relationships was not a significant moderator of social anxiety and loneliness. The results indicate that individuals who are socially anxious and/or lonely may use social media as a proxy for in-person peer relationships. As social interactions and communication continue to increase across myriad online platforms, future work may consider identifying and developing interventions for at-risk individuals who prefer interacting with peers online.

Accessibility Status

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Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Included in

Psychology Commons

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