From status updates to states of mind: analyzing parental well-being in the digital landscape

Abstract

This research explores parents’ posts (n=3166) on the social media platform X to understand the subjective well-being of Japanese parents. It focuses on analyzing the expression of the three basic psychological needs: autonomy, relatedness, and competence, as outlined in the Self-Determination Theory (SDT). Using conventional content analysis, our study unveils patterns and trends in how parents communicate their psychological needs and the satisfaction of these needs on social media platforms. Posts expressing the basic psychological need for autonomy was the most common theme (n=2067, 65%), followed by relatedness (n=757, 24%) and competence (n=336, 11%). Moreover, we found that social media posts by parents mostly expressed unsatisfied needs (n=1297, 41%) and were closely followed by dissatisfied needs (n=1073, 34%). Only a small portion of the social media posts expressed satisfied needs (n=789, 25%). The findings not only contribute to a deeper understanding of the challenges and joys experienced by parents but also offer potential insights for tailored interventions and support systems. This research advances our understanding of the digital footprint of parents and well-being in the digital age.