To grieve or not to grieve (online)? Interactions with deceased Facebook friends.

Besides seeking social support, connecting with bereaved others, and maintaining relationships with the deceased, bereaved Facebook users may express their grief on Facebook to reduce their death anxiety. Notably, research has not yet explored the psychological outcomes of expressing grief on Facebo...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Death Studies Vol. 45; no. 3; pp. 167 - 182
Autores principales: Blower, Jessica, Sharman, Rachael
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Taylor & Francis Ltd 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd
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        10.1080/07481187.2019.1626937
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        atl: To grieve or not to grieve (online)? Interactions with deceased Facebook friends.
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          Blower, Jessica
          Sharman, Rachael
        affil: School of Social Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Australia
      su:
        Facebook (Web resource)
        Grief
        Friendship
        Well-being
        Anxiety
        Psychological stress
        Questionnaires
      sug:
        subj:
          Grief
          Friendship
          Well-being
          Anxiety
          Psychological stress
          Questionnaires
          Facebook (Web resource)
      ab: Besides seeking social support, connecting with bereaved others, and maintaining relationships with the deceased, bereaved Facebook users may express their grief on Facebook to reduce their death anxiety. Notably, research has not yet explored the psychological outcomes of expressing grief on Facebook. This study undertook quantitative analysis of survey data from an initial community sample of 409 bereaved Facebook users (77.8% survey completion rate, n = 312; M = 34.46, SD = 12.38; 90% women) to ascertain whether expressions of grief on Facebook had negative psychological outcomes, and whether terror management theory (TMT) provided an appropriate lens for understanding Facebook grief expressions (FBGE). The aims of this study were three-fold: to clarify rates at which Facebook profiles of deceased users are deactivated, memorialized, unchanged, or managed; frequency and types of FBGE; and prevalence of/visitation to commemorative groups. Results—though insufficient to support TMT as an explanatory theoretical framework for FBGE—indicated that individuals who participated in FBGE reported higher anxiety and stress compared to bereaved individuals who did not express their grief on Facebook. Results provide a useful starting point for future research regarding online grieving behaviors and psychological wellbeing.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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