People perceive parasocial relationships to be effective at fulfilling emotional needs.

People regularly form one-sided, "parasocial" relationships (PSRs) with targets incapable of returning the sentiment. Past work has shown that people engage with PSRs to support complex psychological needs (e.g., feeling less lonely after watching a favorite movie). However, we do not know how people rate these relationships relative to traditional two-sided relationships in terms of their effectiveness in supporting psychological needs. The current research (Ntotal = 3085) examined how PSRs help people fulfil emotion regulation needs. In Studies 1 and 2, participants felt that both their YouTube creator and non-YouTube creator PSRs were more effective at fulfilling their emotional needs than in-person acquaintances, albeit less effective than close others. In Study 3, people with high self-esteem thought PSRs would be responsive to their needs when their sociometer was activated, just as they do with two-sided relationships.

[The impact of social media on youths with anorexia nervosa]. / De impact van sociale media op anorexia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the impact of social media on youths with severe anorexia nervosa. DESIGN: Qualitative study. METHOD: Through semi-structured interviews with eleven youths diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, opinions and experiences surrounding the impact of social media on anorexia nervosa were collected, coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Social media are often used to compensate for social isolation or misunderstandings about anorexia nervosa from friends and family. Motivated youths experience recovery communities as helpful against social isolation and a good place to find motivation for recovery. Negative aspects of social media include the idealization of unhealthy body types, the competition to have the most severe anorexia and the ease with which pro-ana content is found online and imposes itself. CONCLUSION: Preventive measures, including education about the dangers of social media can protect youths with anorexia nervosa in their social media use. Isolation from social media may lead to further social isolation.

Reconnecting.

A briefly renewed friendship, 60 years later.

Factors associated with help-seeking regarding sexual orientation concerns among Japanese gay and bisexual men: results from a cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigates Japanese gay and bisexual men's experiences of seeking help for emotional support from others regarding their sexual orientation concerns. It examines the relationship between their help-seeking and presence of gay and bisexual peers, duration between questioning their sexual orientation and accepting it, and experience of coming out to family members by multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey using a self-reported paper questionnaire. There were 360 valid responses. Eighty-two respondents (22.8%) had experience of help-seeking for emotional support, and this was associated with age, occupation, presence of gay/bisexual friends, and experience of coming out to family members about their sexual orientation. Respondents sought the most help from their male friends (70.0%), followed by female friends (25.0%), mothers (17.5%), and the Internet (16.3%). Even after controlling for age and occupation, experience of help-seeking for emotional support was higher among participants who had gay/bisexual friends when they were aware of their sexual orientation, took < 1 year from questioning to realizing their sexual orientation, and had come out to their family about their sexual orientation.

Peer perspectives on friendships among peers with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities: A pilot mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND: The benefits of friendships among peers with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities are well supported by research. However, little is known about the nature of these inclusive friendships in inclusive college courses. METHOD: We explored the perspectives of peers on the development of authentic friendships among peers with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities in inclusive college courses in the United States. We used a sequential, explanatory, transformative mixed methods-grounded theory research design. We integrated quantitative (N = 44) and qualitative (N = 8) findings using blended analysis to inform a preliminary grounded theory of inclusive and reciprocal friendships. RESULTS: Quantitative findings suggest two relationships and one predictor of peers' perceived social engagement. Qualitative findings resulted in five themes that promote friendships. CONCLUSIONS: We propose that the context for developing inclusive friendships could be fostered using the preparation and actions stages of the grounded theory model.

Personality heterophily and friendship as drivers for successful cooperation.

Cooperation is widespread and arguably a pivotal evolutionary force in maintaining animal societies. Yet, proximately, what underlying motivators drive individuals to cooperate remains relatively unclear. Since 'free-riders' can exploit the benefits by cheating, selecting the right partner is paramount. Such decision rules need not be based on complex calculations and can be driven by cognitively less-demanding mechanisms, like social relationships (e.g. kinship, non-kin friendships, dyadic tolerance), social status (e.g. dominance hierarchies) and personalities (social and non-social traits); however, holistic evidence related to those mechanisms is scarce. Using the classical 'loose-string paradigm', we tested cooperative tendencies of a hierarchical primate, the long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis). We studied three groups (n = 21) in their social settings, allowing partner choice. We supplemented cooperation with observational and experimental data on social relationships, dominance hierarchies and personality. Friendship and dissimilarities in non-social 'exploration' and 'activity-sociability' personality traits predicted the likelihood of cooperative dyad formation. Furthermore, the magnitude of cooperative success was positively associated with friendship, low rank-distance and dissimilarity in the activity-sociability trait. Kinship did not affect cooperation. While some findings align with prior studies, the evidence of (non-social) personality heterophily promoting cooperation may deepen our understanding of the proximate mechanisms and, broadly, the evolution of cooperation.

Americans misperceive the frequency and format of political debate.

Disagreement over divergent viewpoints seems like an ever-present feature of American life-but how common is debate and with whom do debates most often occur? In the present research, we theorize that the landscape of debate is distorted by social media and the salience of negativity present in high-profile spats. To understand the true landscape of debate, we conducted three studies (N = 2985) across online and lab samples. In contrast to the high-profile nature of negative debates with strangers, we found that people most commonly debate close contacts, namely family members and good friends. In addition, they often report feeling positive after engaging in debate. We then directly measured misperceptions regarding debate in a representative sample of Americans (N = 1991). We found that Americans systematically overestimated how often others engage in debate. This overestimation extended across debate partners (family members, good friends, acquaintances, coworkers, and strangers) and contexts (in-person and online; p's < 0.001, d's > 0.98), most strongly overestimating how often Americans debate strangers online. This misprediction may be psychologically costly: overestimating how often Americans debate strangers online significantly predicted greater hopelessness in the future of America. Together, our findings suggest that Americans may experience a false reality about the landscape of debate which can unnecessarily undermine their hope about the future.

Thinking you're different matters more for belonging than being different.

Belonging to a community is essential for wellbeing, but potentially unattainable for those dissimilar from a group. In the present work, we ask whether belongingness is better predicted by acting and thinking like peers or believing you act and think like peers. Students (N = 1181) reported their belonging and how much they, their friends, and an "average student" endorsed local behavioral norms and general values. We calculated difference scores for behaviors and values capturing perceived similarity to the average, actual similarity to the average, and accuracy around the norm. Key results indicate that perceived behavioral similarity to the average, when controlling for other differences, predicts belonging and most robustly mediates between identity and belonging. Using social network analysis, we find behavioral differences from friends are meaningfully linked to network density and racial homophily. Efficient interventions for enhanced belonging could highlight similarities between students and their peers.

The role of perceived social support from family, friends and significant others in the association between childhood maltreatment on sleep quality in adolescents: Evidence from a weekly diary study.

BACKGROUND: Childhood maltreatment is a common problem that can have lasting effects on the physical and mental health of adolescents who have experienced it, including sleep quality. OBJECTIVE: This study will investigate the relationship between childhood maltreatment and sleep quality in adolescents using a weekly diary method. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: In this study, students from a middle school in central China were recruited as research subjects, and a total of 11 classes with 470 students were investigated. METHODS: In order to fill in the gaps of previous studies, a weekly diary method was used to collect data. Subjects were required to complete three scales once a week for seven consecutive weeks, including the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scale (PSQI). RESULTS: Findings suggest that childhood maltreatment has a negative impact on adolescent's sleep quality at the weekly level (γ01c = -0.07, t = -5.71, p < .001) . The negative effect of childhood maltreatment on sleep quality was significantly reduced with the addition of perceived social support (γ01c' = -0.03, t = -2.83, p < .01). Notably, support from friends (γ01a*γ02b = -0.01) and significant others (γ01a*γ02b = -0.02) also played an important mediating role in child maltreatment and adolescent sleep quality, but family support remained the most important support in adolescents (γ01a*γ02b = -0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The present study has confirmed the negative correlation between childhood maltreatment and sleep quality in adolescents. Furthermore, it has clarified the mechanism of perceived social support and the separate mediating roles of perceived family support, perceived friend support, and perceived significant other support.

The association between SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and cross-border mobility for visiting family or friends among Dutch residents of a Euregional province.

BACKGROUND: Border measures were implemented in many countries as infection prevention measures to interrupt between-country COVID-19 transmission. Border closings impact border region residents, as their professional and social lives are often intertwined across national borders. We studied whether crossing borders to visit family/friends in neighbouring countries (cross-border mobility) was associated with SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Dutch Euregional residents. METHODS: SARS-CoV-2 serostatus (negative/positive) was assessed (pre-vaccination) using laboratory testing to determine previous infection. Visiting Belgian or German family/friends in February-March 2020 was questioned. The association between cross-border mobility and seroprevalence was tested using logistic regression analysis, adjusted for previously identified exposure factors. RESULTS: In 9,996 participants, 36.8 % (n = 3,677) reported cross-border family/friends. Of these, one-third (n = 1,306) visited their cross-border family/friends in February-March 2020. Multivariable analyses revealed no positive association between cross-border mobility and seropositivity, for both participants living in a border municipality (ORfamily/friends not visited=0.90 [95 % CI:0.78-1.04], ORfamily/friends visited=0.88 [95 % CI:0.73-1.05]), and for participants not living in a border municipality (ORfamily/friends not visited=0.91 [95 % CI:0.72-1.16], ORfamily/friends visited=0.62 [95 % CI:0.41-0.94]). CONCLUSIONS: This study provided no evidence of cross-border mobility as an important exposure factor for SARS-CoV-2. The results of our unique real-world study suggest that cross-border mobility did not substantially contribute to cross-border SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the Netherlands.

[Externalizing problem behavior with friends in adolescence: What role do factors of callous-unemotional traits play?] / Externalisierendes Problemverhalten mit Freund:innen im Jugendalter: Welche Rolle spielen Faktoren der emotionalen Unbeteiligtheit?

INTRODUCTION: Affective impairments/disorders are one explanation as to why adolescents exhibit externalizing problem behavior (rule-breaking and dissocial behavior). Impaired affect is a core feature of callous-unemotional traits (CU traits). CU traits are composed of three factors: Callousness (lack of empathy and remorse), Uncaring (indifferent attitude toward task performance and the feelings of others), and Unemotional (superficial or flattened affect). Externalizing problem behaviors mostly occur in groups during adolescence. Therefore, it is important to consider the relationship between CU traits and externalizing problem behaviors that are exhibited explicitly in collaboration with or in the presence of friends. This perspective has been lacking in research on CU traits. The present study aims to fill this research gap. METHODS: Self-report data were collected between June 2021 and March 2023 from N = 169 adolescents (54% female; M = 14.95 years) using a set of questionnaires that could be completed online or as a paper-pencil version. In addition to CU traits (ICU) the set of questionnaires included assessments of rule-breaking and dissocial behavior with friends (CBCL: YSR 11-18 R). RESULTS: Only the subscale Callousness contributes to the explanation of externalizing problem behaviors with friends (6% variance explained). DISCUSSION: The results indicate that the three factors of CU-traits should be considered separately. In addition, when examining externalizing problem behavior, one should consider whether it is exhibited alone or together with or in the presence of friends. Limitations of the study, ideas for further research, and practical implications are discussed.

The social contexts of behaviors and relationships: The relation of classroom and cyber victimization to number of classroom and cyber friends.

Behaviors and relationships exist within a variety of social contexts. More specifically for the current research, victimization and friendships occur in classrooms and, increasingly, in online virtual contexts. The current research examined how the number of classroom friends and number of cyber friends related to the extent of classroom victimization and extent of cyber victimization. Research has demonstrated the importance of face-to-face friendships in relation to being a victim; much less is known about the role of cyber friends in relation to being a cyber victim or how these relationships may play a role in cross-context victimization. Participants were 350 children from Grades 3 through 5 (188 girls and 162 boys). Children indicated classroom friends on a classroom roster, reported the number of their cyber friends, and indicated the extent of their cyber victimization. Peers nominated classmates for classroom victimization behaviors. A path analysis revealed that number of classroom friends was negatively associated with both extent of classroom victimization and extent of cyber victimization. Number of cyber friends was positively associated with extent of cyber victimization and was negatively related to extent of classroom victimization. Discussion of results includes the construction, use, and adaptation of social skills within and between social contexts.

Propensity to trust shapes perceptions of comforting touch between trustworthy human and robot partners.

Touching a friend to comfort or be comforted is a common prosocial behaviour, firmly based in mutual trust. Emphasising the interactive nature of trust and touch, we suggest that vulnerability, reciprocity and individual differences shape trust and perceptions of touch. We further investigate whether these elements also apply to companion robots. Participants (n = 152) were exposed to four comics depicting human-human or human-robot exchanges. Across conditions, one character was sad, the other initiated touch to comfort them, and the touchee reciprocated the touch. Participants first rated trustworthiness of a certain character (human or robot in a vulnerable or comforting role), then evaluated the two touch phases (initiation and reciprocity) in terms of interaction realism, touch appropriateness and pleasantness, affective state (valence and arousal) attributed to the characters. Results support an interactive account of trust and touch, with humans being equally trustworthy when comforting or showing vulnerability, and reciprocity of touch buffering sadness. Although these phenomena seem unique to humans, propensity to trust technology reduces the gap between how humans and robots are perceived. Two distinct trust systems emerge: one for human interactions and another for social technologies, both necessitating trust as a fundamental prerequisite for meaningful physical contact.

Being a sibling of a youth with a neurodisability: A qualitative study about the roles and responsibilities during the transition to adulthood.

BACKGROUND: During the transition to adulthood, a common challenge that youth with a neurodisability may experience is learning how to navigate services in the adult care system. During this transition youth may rely on their families, including siblings, for support. However, delineation of sibling roles and responsibilities during this transition period are unclear. This study aims to identify the roles and responsibilities that siblings perceive to have with their sibling with a neurodisability during the transition to adulthood, and describe the decision-making process of how siblings chose these roles. METHODS: In this descriptive qualitative case study, siblings were eligible to participate if they were between 14 to 40 years old, had a sibling between 14 to 21 years with a childhood-onset neurodisability and spoke English. Semi-structured interviews augmented by techniques of photo elicitation and relational maps were conducted. Reflexive thematic analysis was applied to identify sibling roles, as well as the emotional and decision-making process associated with these roles. Our team partnered with siblings with lived experience in all study phases. RESULTS: Nineteen participants (median age = 19 years, range = 14 to 33 years) from 16 unique families were interviewed. Six unique roles were described: friend, role model/mentor, protector, advocate, supporter, or caregiver. The emotions that siblings experienced with each role, also known as emotional responsibility, were categorized into levels of low, medium or high. Siblings also described a four-phase decision-making process for their roles: (1) acquiring knowledge; (2) preparing plans; (3) making adjustments; and (4) seeking support. Intrapersonal characteristics, including personal identity, values and experiences, influenced roles assumed by siblings. CONCLUSIONS: Siblings identified needing support as they process their decisions and emotional responsibility in their roles when their sibling with a neurodisability is transitioning to adulthood. Resources should be developed or further enhanced to support siblings.

Does Facebook Use Provide Social Benefits to Adults with Traumatic Brain Injury?

Drawing on the social compensation hypothesis, this study investigates whether Facebook use facilitates social connectedness for individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI), a common and debilitating medical condition that often results in social isolation. In a survey (N = 104 participants; n = 53 with TBI, n = 51 without TBI), individuals with TBI reported greater preference for self-disclosure on Facebook (vs. face-to-face) compared to noninjured individuals. For noninjured participants, a preference for Facebook self-disclosure was associated with the enactment of relational maintenance behaviors on Facebook, which was then associated with greater closeness with Facebook friends. However, no such benefits emerged for individuals with TBI, whose preference for Facebook self-disclosure was not associated with relationship maintenance behaviors on Facebook, and did not lead to greater closeness with Facebook friends. These findings show that the social compensation hypothesis has partial utility in the novel context of TBI, and suggest the need for developing technological supports to assist this vulnerable population on social media platforms.