Using Facebook for Improving the Psychological Well-Being of Individuals Experiencing Homelessness: Experimental and Longitudinal Study.

Fran Calvo,Xavier Carbonell

doi:10.2196/mental.9814

Abstract

BackgroundWeb-based social networks are a powerful communicative element and their use is increasingly widespread. Persons living in extreme social exclusion such as individuals experiencing homelessness can benefit from the positive elements of communication and relationship associated with social networking sites.ObjectiveThis study aimed to suggest the comparison of a Facebook training course and an office software course and their effect on psychological well-being in a group of individuals experiencing homelessness.MethodsAn experimental and longitudinal study was designed. Individuals experiencing homelessness were randomly assigned to either the Facebook group or the office software group, and their social skills, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and satisfaction with life were measured on 4 occasions: pretest, at the end of the training course, 1 month later, and 3 months later. A mixed analysis of variance of repeated measures (2×4) was performed.ResultsA total of 92 individuals experiencing homelessness participated in the study. The number of cases in which the 4 measurements were completed was 71 (35 in the intervention group and 36 in the control group). The mixed analysis of variance of repeated measures and the multiple regression analysis indicated a significant increase of the 4 analyzed parameters, with greater significance in the areas of social skills and self-esteem. The critical levels associated to the interaction Time×Program were significant in all variables and levels. Therefore, the scores in the 4 analyzed constructs were not equal according to the program carried out throughout the work. The effect size associated to the interaction Time×Program in the social skills scores was large (η2=0.32); in the self-esteem and self-efficacy scores, it was medium, (η2=0.13); and in the satisfaction with life scores, it was small (η2=0.09). The results of the adjustment of the different models of multiple linear regression indicate that the number of hours devoted weekly to the use of Facebook was a predictor of the increase in the scores of social skills (B=3.43, r2=.405) and self-esteem (B=.382). Age (B=.175) and self-efficacy (B=.09) were also variables, which with independence and in equal conditions, predicted self-esteem (r2=.29). Finally, self-esteem (B=.69) was also a predictor variable of the increase of satisfaction with life (r2=.195).ConclusionsThese findings suggest that Facebook could be a key element in homeless psychological well-being and socialization.

Highlights

Homelessness is a situation of extreme social exclusion with very serious organic, psychological, and social consequences
The Multidimensional Scale of Social Expression-C [31] was used to assess social skills in the internet context. This is a Likert-type scale of 40 items with scores from 0-4, in which a higher score indicates more adaptive social skills in the internet context, for example, “I’m afraid of speaking in public and doing it badly.”
Self-Esteem Scale [32] is valid and reliable for Spanish populations [33] as well as for both genders and different ethnic groups [34]. It is a scale of 10 items aiming to measure global self-esteem by assessing positive and negative feelings toward oneself

Summary

Introduction

Homelessness is a situation of extreme social exclusion with very serious organic, psychological, and social consequences. Individuals experiencing homelessness display, when compared against the general population, higher levels and more acute episodes of mental health disorders [1] and associated mortality, and their symptomatology is more severe [2]. Individuals experiencing homelessness receive health services less frequently and display an insufficient retention in treatment, which worsens their evolution and prognosis [4] and indicates that they have an especially high demand for emergency room attention, which has an effect on public health expenses [5]. Web-based social networks are a powerful communicative element and their use is increasingly widespread. Persons living in extreme social exclusion such as individuals experiencing homelessness can benefit from the positive elements of communication and relationship associated with social networking sites

Methods

Results

Conclusion