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. 2024 Mar;27(3):214-220.
doi: 10.1089/cyber.2023.0211.

Does Facebook Use Provide Social Benefits to Adults with Traumatic Brain Injury?

Catalina L Toma  1 , Juwon Hwang  2 , Lisa Kakonge  3 , Emily L Morrow  4   5   6 , Lyn S Turkstra  3 , Bilge Mutlu  7 , Melissa C Duff  4
Affiliations

Does Facebook Use Provide Social Benefits to Adults with Traumatic Brain Injury?

Catalina L Toma et al. Cyberpsychol Behav Soc Netw. 2024 Mar.

Abstract

Drawing on the social compensation hypothesis, this study investigates whether Facebook use facilitates social connectedness for individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI), a common and debilitating medical condition that often results in social isolation. In a survey (N = 104 participants; n = 53 with TBI, n = 51 without TBI), individuals with TBI reported greater preference for self-disclosure on Facebook (vs. face-to-face) compared to noninjured individuals. For noninjured participants, a preference for Facebook self-disclosure was associated with the enactment of relational maintenance behaviors on Facebook, which was then associated with greater closeness with Facebook friends. However, no such benefits emerged for individuals with TBI, whose preference for Facebook self-disclosure was not associated with relationship maintenance behaviors on Facebook, and did not lead to greater closeness with Facebook friends. These findings show that the social compensation hypothesis has partial utility in the novel context of TBI, and suggest the need for developing technological supports to assist this vulnerable population on social media platforms.

Keywords: computer-mediated communication; relationship maintenance; self-disclosure; social compensation hypothesis; social media; traumatic brain injury.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have NO affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

Figures

FIG. 1.
FIG. 1.
Mediation model for noninjured individuals. Note. Solid lines show significant relationships.
FIG. 2.
FIG. 2.
Mediation model for individuals with TBI. Note. Dashed lines show non-significant relationships; solid line shows significant relationship. TBI, traumatic brain injury.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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