Online and offline social support deterioration: the effect of financial stress exposure on depressive symptoms

Abstract

Social support is a prominent factor in mental health etiology. According to the social support deterioration model, exposure to chronic stressors may over time erode people's social support, thereby contributing to increases in mental health issues. Although there is mounting evidence indicating the beneficial consequences of online social support, the extent to which social support deterioration takes place in an online context is to date not investigated. In this study, we tested if exposure to financial stress is associated with depressive symptoms and whether this association can be explained by decreases in both perceived online and offline social support respectively. Using data from a 2016 survey of a representative sample of inhabitants of Ghent (Belgium) (n = 1150, 51.5% female, M-age = 45.4, SDage = 15.9), we were able to confirm that a reduction in perceived online social support mediates the positive association of financial stress exposure with depressive symptoms, albeit only weakly and indirectly via its association with perceived offline social support. Our findings suggest that the association of online social support with respect to financial stress and mental health is comparable to its offline counterpart, yet its part should not be overstated. These findings allow us to discuss the offline role of online social support.