What’s Up? Social Isolation, Loneliness, and Social Media use among Persons with Acquired BrainInjury

Abstract

Background: Acquired brain injury can lead to both perceived and actual social isolation. Social media has been proposed as having the potential to reduce social isolation after a brain injury. Research has revealed mixed results into the relationship between social media use and social isolation, and there has been little research of those with an acquired brain injury. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine potential associations between social media use, subjective, and objective social isolation among persons with an acquired brain injury. Method: The participants in this study were 40 members of the support group Headway. Questionnaires were used to measure social media use, loneliness, and social isolation. Results: There were no significant correlations found between social media use and subjective, or objective social isolation. There were significant correlations between loneliness, social isolation, and demographic factors. Conclusion: This study found a high prevalence of loneliness in this sample of individuals with an acquired brain injury. Future research should further explore factors associated with social media use contributing to, or protecting against social isolation, to reduce the high levels of loneliness reported in this population. Keywords: Acquired brain injury; social media; loneliness; social isolation