Project Details
Description
Youngsters from generation Z are digital natives, and as such, often do not distinguish between their online and offline social environment. Despite the fact that everyday life, and specifically that of youngsters, cannot be imagined without digital media, there are still major gaps in our knowledge on who benefits from online social interactions and related social support and under which circumstances. The fact that an increasing portion of adolescents’ social lives occur online, which was sped up by the recent COVID-19 pandemic and the related lockdowns, stresses the importance of attaining a detailed insight in the impact of online communication on adolescent mental well-being. Therefore, the current project aims at investigating whether there are certain ‘profiles’ of adolescents that do (not) benefit from online communication and whether there are conditions that facilitate or hinder the positive impact of online social communication on mental well-being. Moreover, this project will also examine the impact of an online intervention on the adolescent capacity of connecting to others online. An innovative Ecologically Momentary Assessment (EMA) approach is adopted in order to examine these associations in a naturalistic setting and temporally close to the actual online interaction. This project will not only advance the theoretical framework on (online) communication and mental well-being, but will also guide practical implementation to further psychological practice.
Acronym | OZR3950 |
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Status | Active |
Effective start/end date | 1/06/22 → 31/05/26 |
Keywords
- Social media
- mental health
- adolescents
Flemish discipline codes in use since 2023
- Social and emotional development
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