scholarly journals Professional Social Media Usage and Work Engagement: A Four-Wave Follow-Up Study of Finnish Professionals Before and During the COVID-19 Outbreak (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reetta Oksa ◽  
Markus Kaakinen ◽  
Nina Savela ◽  
Jari Juhani Hakanen ◽  
Atte Oksanen
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Media Communication ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
Social Media Communication ◽  
And Task

BACKGROUND COVID-19 pandemic has changed work life profoundly and concerns of employees’ mental well-being have risen. Organizations have taken rapid digital leaps and started to use new collaborative tools such as social media platforms overnight. OBJECTIVE Our study investigated how professional social media usage has affected work engagement before and during the COVID-19 and the role of perceived social support, task resources and psychological distress as predictors and moderators of work engagement. METHODS Nationally representative longitudinal survey data were collected in 2019–2020, and 965 respondents participated to all four surveys. Measures included work engagement (UWES-9), perceived social support and task resources (COPSOQ II) and psychological distress (GHQ-12). The data was analyzed using hybrid linear regression modeling. RESULTS Work engagement remained stable and only decreased in autumn 2020. Within-person changes in social media communication at work, social support, task resources, and psychological distress were all associated with work engagement. The negative association between psychological distress and work engagement was stronger in autumn 2020 than before the COVID-19 outbreak. CONCLUSIONS COVID-19 puts pressure on mental health at work. Fostering social support and task resources at work are important in maintaining work engagement. Social media communication could help in sustaining supportive work environment. CLINICALTRIAL Not applicable

Social Media Communication and Loneliness Among Older Adults: The Mediating Roles of Social Support and Social Contact

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kunyu Zhang ◽  
Kyungmin Kim ◽  
Nina M Silverstein ◽  
Qian Song ◽  
Jeffrey A Burr
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Older People ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Media Communication ◽  
Social Media Communication

Abstract Background and Objectives Social media communication offers a medium for helping older people stay socially and emotionally connected with others. This study investigated the association between social media communication with close social ties and loneliness among community-dwelling older adults. The study also examined the mediating roles of social support and social contact. Research Design and Methods Four waves of data from the Health and Retirement Study (2010/2012 and 2014/2016) were used to address the research questions (N = 7,524). A path model was estimated to examine the association between social media communication and older adults’ loneliness. We also examined whether the association between social media communication and loneliness was mediated by perceived social support from close social ties (children, other family members, and friends) and frequency of contact with social network members (phone, in-person contact, and writing letters/email). Results The results showed that frequent social media communication was associated with lower levels of loneliness, adjusting for previous levels of loneliness. The relationship between social media communication and loneliness was mediated by perceived social support and social contact. Thus, social media communication was associated with higher levels of perceived social support and social contact, which were related to lower levels of loneliness among older adults. Discussion and Implications These findings suggested that social media communication may be considered an intervention to reduce loneliness among older people by increasing levels of social support and social contact.

scholarly journals The Relationship Between Social Capital and Psychological Well-Being: the Mediating Role of Internet Marketing

2020 ◽  
pp. 40-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed Khalil Ahmed ◽  
Muhammad Majid Khan ◽  
Rao Aamir Khan ◽  
Bahaudin G. Mujtaba
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Virtual University ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
The Relationship

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between social capital and psychological well-being through perceived social support testing social media usage as a moderator. This study is based on social capital theory, which is centred on human interaction through social support to amplify the psychological well-being. Data was collected from 368 masters' students belonging to five different campuses. Using partial least squares structural equation modelling the results reveal that perceived social support significantly mediates the link between social capital and psychological well-being, and social media usage heightens the relationship between social capital and saws social support when it is used for a social cause. Findings of the study have some practical implications on how to diagnose and prevent factors that influence the feelings of isolation and loneliness in online interactions. The results are useful for digital media users and managers in higher education distance learning institutions since social interaction might indirectly benefit virtual university students' psychological well-being by increasing the perceived social support followed by social capital. Researchers agree that using social media may help to improve students' levels of life quality if educational administrators can develop novel applications that pay close attention to individuals' social and moral support. As such, social media designers could design more entertaining features to efficiently stimulate students and other users to adapt and meet their needs for social interactions. This research has established that a simple social conversation forum app should be launched by any virtual university to bring their students together where they could feel a sense of belonging and connectedness with a slice of social support. Moreover, teachers should also have a separate informal blog where they could communicate with their students each week to overcome the lack of face-to-face interaction. The administration of virtual universities has to increase the number of face-to-face gathering and seminars, i.e. it should be once in a semester rather than once in the entire study program. It will motivate the students by making references and relations with their peers. By spreading this knowledge, the students may get out of the state of isolation that will improve their performance. By demonstrating this in the higher education sector, virtual universities could reduce the service staff more intelligently through AI, and delay in response time (e.g., communication between student-to-student and student-to-teacher) could also be removed efficiently. Applying this model in virtual university settings could bring local and international students to obtain more significant social support, consequently leading to amplified psychological well-being. Keywords psychological well-being, social capital, internet marketing, social media usage, perceived social support online communities, e-learning, virtual engagement, social ties, online social interaction, loneliness, and isolation.

scholarly journals Social Media Use and Loneliness Among Older Adults: The Mediating Role of Social Contact and Perceived Social Support

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 321-321
Author(s):  
Kunyu Zhang ◽  
Jeffrey Burr ◽  
Kyungmin Kim ◽  
Nina Silverstein ◽  
Qian Song
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Media Communication ◽  
Social Media Communication

Abstract Loneliness is a risk factor for poor quality of life among older adults. Social media use provides a new dimension of communication for older adults to connect with people and to maintain social relationships. However, research has been inconclusive about whether social media use reduces loneliness among older adults, which is due in part to a lack of appropriate measures for capturing different types of social media use. Furthermore, little is known about the underlying mechanisms through which social media use is associated with loneliness. This study investigates the association between social media communication with close social ties and loneliness among community-dwelling older adults (65+), and further examines the mediating role of social contact and social support in the association. Data from the 2014 wave of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) are analyzed to address our research questions (N = 4,184). Path analyses are employed to examine the relationships among social media communication with close social ties (i.e., children, family, and friends), frequency of contact with social ties (i.e., phone, in-person contact, write/email), perceived social support from social ties, and loneliness (R-UCLA loneliness scale). The results show that a higher level of social media communication is associated with lower levels of loneliness through social contact and perceived social support. Moreover, the relationship between social media communication and perceived social support is partially mediated by social contact. These findings suggest that social media communication may be considered an intervention that may reduce loneliness among older people.

scholarly journals Work Engagement and Associated Factors Among Dental Nurses in China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yujing Wang ◽  
Yuqin Gao ◽  
Yang Xun
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Job Stress ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Univariate Analysis ◽  
Psychological Flexibility ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Characteristics ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Subjective Well Being

Abstract Aim: To identify the level of work engagement among dental nurses in China and explore the correlation between work engagement and psychological characteristics.Background: Work engagement is affected by many factors, level of work engagement among dental nurses is unknown.Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among 215 dental nurses. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9), Chinese Nurse Stressors Scale (CNSS), Work-related Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (WAAQ), Multi-Dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and General Well-Being Schedule (GWBS) were applied to measure Chinese nurses’ work engagement, job stress, psychological flexibility, perceived social support and subjective well-being respectively. Univariate analysis was used to identify the relationships of work engagement with demographic and psychological characteristics. Hierarchical regression analysis was applied to test the variance in work engagement accounted for by factors related to work engagement in the univariate analysis.Results: The level of work engagement in Chinese dental nurses was moderate or above. Work engagement was positively associated with perceived social support, psychological flexibility and subjective well-being but negatively correlated with job stress. The hierarchical regression analysis showed that job stress, psychological flexibility and subjective well-being were significantly correlated with work engagement, which explained 36.2% of the variance in work engagement.Conclusions: Dental nurses in China had an acceptable level of work engagement in terms of vigour, dedication and absorption. Increased job stress would result in lower work engagement. Nurses who had higher levels of psychological flexibility and subjective well-being also had higher work engagement. We should emphasize the job stress of nurses, strengthen support for organizational culture, create a good work environment and interpersonal relationships, relieve nurses’ job stress, improve nurses’ levels of subjective well-being, and thus improve nurses’ work engagement levels.

scholarly journals Influencing Factors For Employees’ Usage Intention of Internal Social Media Communication Technologies

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen Nicole Werling
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Norms ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Motivating Factors ◽  
Communication Quality ◽  
Media Communication ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Internal Social Media ◽  
Social Media Communication

This study explores motivating and hindering factors for internal social media usage in organizations using the Theory of Planned Behavior. Organizational communication quality was considered as a unique moderating factor between social norms and usage intention. This qualitative study consists of 16 individual interviewees from 6 different organizations. Findings revealed that motivating factors included improvements to: organizational processes, knowledge management, and communication. Hindering factors included a lack of information concerning the personal benefits. It would seem that the better the communication quality is, the more the perceived social norms of usage is supported and thereby the intention for usage.

scholarly journals The effect of perceived social support on psychological distress and life satisfaction among Nepalese migrants in Japan

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0246271
Author(s):  
Januka Khatiwada ◽  
Basilua Andre Muzembo ◽  
Koji Wada ◽  
Shunya Ikeda
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Significant Others ◽  
Satisfaction With Life Scale ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
The Family

Background The world is becoming individualized due to modernization. International migration is one of the factors that lead to family dissociation and a lack of social support. Social support is viewed as a crucial factor that contributes to psychological well-being and satisfaction with life among migrants. However, very little is known about the impacts of social support on psychological distress and satisfaction with life among migrants. Therefore, we conducted this study to assess the association of perceived social support with psychological distress and satisfaction with life among Nepalese migrants, and we evaluated the factors associated with receiving social support. Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted with a convenience sample of Nepalese migrants (N = 249) living in Tokyo. Self-administered online questionnaires were distributed using social networks and chain referral methods. The measures included the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the General Health Questionnaire, and Satisfaction with Life Scale. Descriptive analysis, Pearson’s correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression analyses were performed using SPSS ver. 25. Results The mean (SD) age of the respondents was 31.8 years old (7.3). The family, friends, and significant others subscales of the multidimensional scale of perceived social support were negatively correlated with psychological distress (p<0.01). The family subscale was positively correlated with satisfaction with life (p<0.05), and the friend and significant others subscales were positively correlated with satisfaction with life (p<0.01). Social support from the family was significantly and negatively associated with the type of visa (Beta = -0.160, p = 0.049), and marital status was negatively associated with support from significant others (Beta = -0.175, p = 0.024). Conclusion Social support from family, friends, and significant others was found to be influential in decreasing psychological distress and increasing satisfaction with life among Nepalese migrants in Tokyo. Strengthing social support system through the expansion of interpersonal network may help minimize the psychological distress

scholarly journals The Mental Health and Well-Being of Master’s and Doctoral Psychology Students at an Urban Canadian University

10.28945/4790 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 429-447
Author(s):  
Katey E Park ◽  
Annabel Sibalis ◽  
Brittany Jamieson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Graduate School ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Canadian City ◽  
Health And Well Being

Aim/Purpose: Although the high rates of stress and psychological distress in graduate students has been well-documented, Canadian samples are underrepresented in the extant literature. The present study explores prevalence rates of burnout and psychological distress in a sample of psychology master’s and doctoral students at a university in a large urban Canadian city, as well as factors relating to their well-being, social support and stress. Background: There are economic and productivity setbacks stemming from high stress and mental health challenges. Burnout and psychological distress of graduate students are associated with hindered academic progress, mental and physical health challenges, and reduced productivity. Further, emotionally exhausted doctoral students are at heightened risk for non-completion of their degrees. Methodology: Sixty-two psychology graduate students completed an online survey that assessed burnout, psychological distress (anxiety, depression, and stress symptoms), perceived social support, collegiate sense of community, financial strain, and rank-ordered nine domains of graduate school stressors. Contribution: The present paper contributes to the body of knowledge that graduate students residing in an urban Canadian city experience high rates of burnout and psychological distress. High levels of social support outside the academe were not protective factors in mitigating burnout. Findings: Participants reported high levels of perceived social support and sense of community. However, over half (60%) of respondents met criteria for burnout, and one in three students met criteria for problematic levels of stress, anxiety, and/or depression. In a rank ordering question, “thesis, dissertation or other research”, “classwork” and “finances” ranked in the top three most stressful aspects of graduate school for respondents. Recommendations for Practitioners: Graduate students experience unique stressors related to their mental health and well-being that differ from undergraduate students and young working professionals. Mental health practitioners may be better equipped to support graduate students with knowledge of these specific factors impacting mental health and well-being. Recommendation for Researchers: Based on these findings, four areas of recommendations for psychology graduate institutions and training programs are discussed. These recommendations highlight the need for change across systemic levels and call for integrative efforts to improve wellbeing for psychology graduate students. Impact on Society: Enhancement of doctoral student well-being could contribute to long-term benefits in academia and in higher education. Future Research: The study took place before the emergence of COVID-19, which has undoubtably impacted graduate students globally. Research on student experiences during this unprecedented time is needed, as are additional supports (e.g., virtual programming to reduce social isolation; contingency plans for data collection).

scholarly journals Work engagement and associated factors among dental nurses in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yujing Wang ◽  
Yuqin Gao ◽  
Yang Xun
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Job Stress ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Linear Regression Analysis ◽  
Univariate Analysis ◽  
Psychological Flexibility ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being

Abstract Background Work engagement is affected by many factors. The level of work engagement among dental nurses is unknown. Methods A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among 215 dental nurses. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, Chinese Nurse Stressors Scale, Work-related Acceptance and Action Questionnaire, Multi-dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and General Well-Being Schedule were applied to measure Chinese nurses’ work engagement, job stress, psychological flexibility, perceived social support and subjective well-being, respectively. Univariate analysis was used to identify the relationships of work engagement with demographic and psychological characteristics. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was applied to test the variance in work engagement accounted for by factors related to work engagement in the univariate analysis. Results The level of work engagement among Chinese dental nurses was moderate or above. Work engagement was positively associated with perceived social support, psychological flexibility and subjective well-being but negatively correlated with job stress. The hierarchical regression analysis showed that age, job stress, psychological flexibility and subjective well-being were significantly correlated with work engagement, though perceived social support was not, all of those psychological variables together explained 34.7% of the variance in work engagement. Conclusions Dental nurses in China had an acceptable level of work engagement in terms of vigour, dedication and absorption. Increased job stress resulted in lower work engagement. Nurses who had higher levels of perceived social support, psychological flexibility and subjective well-being also had higher work engagement. It is necessary to understand the job stress of nurses, strengthen nurses’ social support, relieve nurses’ job stress, improve nurses’ psychological flexibility and subjective well-being, which will improve nurses’ work engagement levels.

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