Mediating effect of online social support on the relationship between stress and mental well-being

Abstract

Purpose Workplace stress is on the rise and progressive organizations devise their own mechanisms to mitigate it and enhance mental wellbeing (MWB). Of late, the workforce is increasingly dependent on social networking sites (SNS) for social exchanges and debate is well documented if SNS could be used to mediate the relationship between stress and MWB. The purpose of this paper is to investigate this relationship. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on a survey of 269 employees, on the following constructs: stress, online social support (OSS) and MWB. The authors’ proposed framework was investigated using structural equation modeling. Findings Results indicated that stress has a significant negative effect on MWB and subsequently, OSS partially mediates the relationship between stress and MWB. The results suggest that organizations allow the use of social networking site in a controlled setting so that employees could use this as a mechanism to control stress and enhance MWB. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study on OSS role in mediating the relationship between stress and MWB.

Social Media Usage Experiences of Young Adults during the COVID 19 Pandemic through Social Cognitive Approach to Uses and Gratifications

“…In line with the finding of this research, it was emphasized that in social media individuals could experience social support through active interactions such as texting and talking to people as well as passive interactions such as receiving likes and comments on photos or videos and having their shares reposted by someone else (McCloskey et al, 2015). In a study, it was highlighted that getting social support by other individuals on social media reduced the stress, loneliness and depression levels of the individuals and increased their well-being (Xavier, 2018). However, "misinformation and frightening news/shares" that caused a negative effect as a result of using social media during the pandemic were also mentioned.…”

“…Suggestions made by World Health Organization (WHO) on what individuals can do to protect their mental health during the coronavirus pandemic (2020), it has been Onat Kocabıyık 448 emphasized that regular communication with close ones via telephone and online channels is important to maintain social communication. Similarly, in other studies, it was asserted that having social support on social media by both other individuals (Xavier, & Wesley, 2018) and governmental institutions (Cumiskey, & Hjorth, 2018;Westerman, Spence, & Van Der Heide, 2014) decreased individuals' stress and depression levels. In addition, it was emphasized that helping other individuals had a positive effect on mental health (WHO, 2020), and the important effect of social media calls for solidarity and helping each other on this issue was mentioned (Cumiskey, & Hjorth, 2018).…”

Online self-disclosure and well-being among Vietnamese adolescents: online social support as a mediator

“…Furthermore, online social support is associated with stress coping and resilience (Chung et al, 2014); meanwhile, resilience and stress coping was associated with mental health (Yoo, 2019;Wu et al, 2020), life satisfaction (Buser and Kearney, 2017;Zheng et al, 2020) and well-being (Harms et al, 2018). Hence, previous studies have revealed that online social support is associated with an increase in well-being (Lee et al, 2013;Xavier and Wesley, 2018;Ali, 2020). As such, previous studies have confirmed the link between online self-disclosure and online social support (Lee et al, 2013;Utz and Breuer, 2017), between online social support and wellbeing (Lee et al, 2013;Xavier and Wesley, 2018;Ali, 2020).…”

“…Hence, previous studies have revealed that online social support is associated with an increase in well-being (Lee et al, 2013;Xavier and Wesley, 2018;Ali, 2020). As such, previous studies have confirmed the link between online self-disclosure and online social support (Lee et al, 2013;Utz and Breuer, 2017), between online social support and wellbeing (Lee et al, 2013;Xavier and Wesley, 2018;Ali, 2020). Furthermore, in Korea, a study by Lee et al (2013) on college students reported that online self-disclosure has an indirect effect on well-being through online social support.…”

Influence of Social Support Network and Perceived Social Support on the Subjective Wellbeing of Mothers of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…In turn, the poor health of mothers of children with ASD affects both the development of these children and balance within the family system ( Karst and Van Hecke, 2012 ). Many studies have suggested the importance of social support to the physical and mental health of mothers of children with ASD ( Lu et al, 2015 ; Xavier and Wesley, 2018 ; Zhao et al, 2021 ); such perceived social support helps alleviate their stress, anxiety, depression, and other negative psychological conditions ( Chen S. D. et al, 2021 ; Koukouriki et al, 2021 ; Scheerer et al, 2021 ) and facilitates the enhancement of their parenting competence and the improvement of their wellbeing ( Iadarola et al, 2017 ; Green et al, 2021 ; Khusaifan and El Keshky, 2021 ). Meanwhile, the less social support felt by mothers of children with ASD, the more they suffer from psychological problems such as anxiety and depression ( Smith et al, 2011 ; Huang et al, 2019 ; Bujnowska et al, 2021 ).…”