Self-esteem and perceived social support among Sarahah users.

Introduction: Sarahah is an online application that allows the anonymous exchange of messages. Lately, the application gained extensive fame among Internet users in Egypt. This study aimed to assess self-esteem and perceived social support among Sarahah users and explore the correlates with the appl...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Journal of Public Health: From Theory to Practice (2198-1833) Vol. 28; no. 6; pp. 685 - 692
Autores principales: Arafa, Ahmed, Senosy, Shaimaa
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Springer Nature 2020
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:Introduction: Sarahah is an online application that allows the anonymous exchange of messages. Lately, the application gained extensive fame among Internet users in Egypt. This study aimed to assess self-esteem and perceived social support among Sarahah users and explore the correlates with the application use. Methods: Two focus group discussions were held to explore the opinions of Internet users about Sarahah application. Then, we created an online questionnaire, using a Google form, to assess the participants' socio-demographic characteristics, self-esteem using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, social support using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and patterns of Sarahah use. Results: Of the 524 respondents to the questionnaire, 28.8% were Sarahah users. Knowing the opinions of others and entertainment were the primary drives behind the application use; 49% and 43% respectively. Low self-esteem (OR 1.6, 95% CI: 1.1–2.5, p = 0.028), age ≤ 25 years (OR 2.4, 95% CI: 1.1–5.2, p = 0.025), and being single (OR 3.4, 95% CI: 1.5–7.5, p = 0.003) associated with Sarahah use after adjustment for age, sex, education, occupation, and social status. Perceived social support did not show significant differences between Sarahah users and non-users. Conclusion: Sarahah users have lower self-esteem than non-users. Future studies investigating other psychological deficits related to Sarahah use are needed.