1. 2University of Virginia
Number of Facebook Friends as a Moderator of the Association between Social Acceptance and Emotional Adjustment
Erin L. Holland1, David E. Szwedo1,2, & Joseph P. Allen2 1James Madison University
2University of Virginia
Erin Holland
David E. Szwedo
Introduction
Measures
Number of Facebook Friends (age 21) Online Social Networking Behavior – Participants’ Facebook pages were accessed and coded for the number of friends in their social network
Social Acceptance (age 21) Assessed using the Self-Perception Profile for Children and Adolescents. Example item: “Some kids are very hard to like.” (reverse-scored)
Depressive Symptoms (ages 21, 26) Assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory, a self-report measure of depressive symptoms
Anxiety Symptoms (ages 21, 26) Assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, a self-report measure of anxiety symptoms
Discussion
A higher number of Facebook friends is associated with increased perceptions of social support, reduced stress, higher life satisfaction, and less physical illness. (So, Nabi , & Prestin, 2013)
Social connectedness is significantly correlated with Facebook use; certain features of Facebook, such as sharing photos and commenting on friends’ status updates, facilitate disclosure of personal information and feelings of social connectedness. (Alloway & Alloway, 2012)
For individuals with high social anxiety, online social support is a better predictor of subjective well-being than offline social support; for individuals with low social anxiety, the opposite is true. (Indian & Grieve, 2014)
Non-users of Facebook are more likely to exhibit shyness or loneliness, correlates of anxiety and depression, than individuals who do use Facebook. (Sheldon, 2012)
College students indicated that they would want to be approached by a friend, a professor, an RA, or a stranger if they observed a disclosure of depression on Facebook. (Whitehill, Brockman, & Moreno, 2013)
When social acceptance is low, a high number of Facebook friends predicts a relative decrease in anxiety symptoms, and a low number of Facebook friends predicts a relative increase in anxiety symptoms.
When social acceptance is high, a high number of Facebook friends predicts a relative increase in anxiety symptoms, and a low number of Facebook friends predicts a relative decrease in anxiety symptoms.
When social acceptance is low, a high number of Facebook friends predicts a relative decrease in depressive symptoms, and a low number of Facebook friends predicts a relative increase in depressive symptoms.
When social acceptance is high, a high number of Facebook friends predicts a relative increase in depressive symptoms, and a low number of Facebook friends predicts a relative decrease in depressive symptoms.
When social acceptance is high, a high number of Facebook friends may lead to an increase in anxiety and depressive symptoms because time spent on Facebook takes away from other important activities, such as spending time with friends and loved ones in person.
Having support groups for individuals with anxiety and depression and resources for their friends and loved ones on social networking sites (SNSs) such as Facebook may be effective treatments.
Results
Hypothesis
References
Table 1. Univariate statistics and intercorrelations between primary constructs (* = p < .05; ** = p < .01; *** = p < .001)
Individuals who do not feel socially accepted, but have a greater number of Facebook friends, will report a relative decrease in symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Alloway, T. P. & Alloway, R. G. (2012). The impact of engagement with social networking sites (SNSs) on cognitive skills. Computers in Human Behavior, 28, 1748–1754.
Indian, M. & Grieve, R. (2014). When Facebook is easier than face-to-face: Social support derived from Facebook in socially anxious individuals. Personality and Individual Differences, 59, 102–106. 
Sheldon, P. (2012). Profiling the non-users: Examination of life-position indicators, sensation seeking, shyness, and loneliness among users and non-users of social network sites. Computers in Human Behavior, 28, 1960–1965.
So, J., Nabi, R.L., & Prestin, A. (2013). Facebook friends with (health) benefits? Exploring social network site use and perceptions of social support, stress, and well-being. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16(10), 721–727.
Whitehill, J. M., Brockman, L. N., & Moreno, M. A. (2013). “Just Talk to Me”: Communicating with college students about depression disclosures on Facebook. Journal of Adolescent Health, 52, 122–127. 
Analyses
Regression analyses assessed the extent to which future levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms could be predicted by number of Facebook friends and social acceptance after controlling for initial levels of participants’ anxiety and depressive symptoms.
Method
Participants
Full sample from larger study: N = 184
Gender Race/Ethnicity Income
86 males Caucasian Median = $40,000 - $59,000
98 females African American
24 Mixed/Other
Online sub-sample (present study): N = 89
35 males Caucasian Median = $40,000 - $59,000
54 females African American
10 Mixed/Other
Figures 1 & 2. Interactions between number of Facebook friends and social acceptance predicting anxiety and depressive symptoms.