Journal article
To grieve or not to grieve (online)? Interactions with deceased Facebook friends
Death Studies, Vol.45(3), pp.167-181
2021
PMID: 31198102
Abstract
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; Mage = 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.
Details
- Title
- To grieve or not to grieve (online)? Interactions with deceased Facebook friends
- Authors
- Jessica Blower (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - School of Social SciencesRachael Sharman (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - School of Social Sciences
- Publication details
- Death Studies, Vol.45(3), pp.167-181
- Publisher
- Routledge
- Date published
- 2021
- DOI
- 10.1080/07481187.2019.1626937
- ISSN
- 0748-1187; 1091-7683
- PMID
- 31198102
- Copyright note
- Copyright (c) 2021 Taylor & Francis. This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in Jessica Blower & Rachael Sharman (2021): To grieve or not to grieve (online)? Interactions with deceased Facebook friends, as published in the Death Studies (2021) 45:3, 167-181, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/07481187.2019.1626937
- Organisation Unit
- School of Social Sciences - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Health - Psychology; School of Law and Society; School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99451452902621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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- Domestic collaboration
- Web Of Science research areas
- Psychology, Multidisciplinary
- Social Issues
- Social Sciences, Biomedical
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