The impact of participation in online social networking on parenting stress levels of single mothers

The U.S. Census Bureau (2012) estimated that there were 15.2 million female householders with no husband present. Many single mothers experience a high level of stress due to feelings of isolation and alienation from friends and family and having to deal with social, economic, and personal issues alone. This study evaluated the impact of participation in a social network site (SNS) on the stress levels of single mothers for the purpose of using updated resources to replicate and expand upon the initial work of Dunham et al. (1998). This study sought to answer the following research questions: Does participation in an SNS decrease mothers’ stress levels? Does increasing participation time in an SNS have a positive impact on the mothers’ stress levels? Do participants report decreased levels of social isolation as a result of participation in a SNS? 4) What themes are reflected in the content analysis of the blog posts in the SNS? A total of 30 single mothers were selected to participate in this study through the use of snowball sampling (Berg, 2007). Participants were volunteers who were recruited through local organizations in the Chattanooga area. This study utilized a one-group, pre-post design and mixed-methods data collection and supported the findings from the original study. A t test was used to compare the pre-post test results for Research Questions 1 and 3. Bivariate correlation was used to analyze Research Question 2. Qualitative data were collected with Research Question 4 through the use of participants’ responses to three blog questions. Participants were able to access the SNS for a period of 21 days. This study supported the original findings that mothers were most likely to report a decreased level of stress through the use of SNSs. However, there was no relationship between the time the mothers devoted to the SNS and a change in their stress levels. The isolation subscale showed a major difference in the participants feeling socially isolated on all items. A content analysis of the weekly blog questions showed that the participants provided and received encouragement, while over half said money was a huge stressor.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Author dc:creator

• Tomlin, Djuana A.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Bernard, Hinsdale
• Robinson, Cheryl; McAllister, Deborah; Roblyer, M. D.
• College of Health, Education, and Professional Studies

• Single mothers
• Social networks
• Women -- Social conditions -- 21st century
• Interpersonal communication

Licence

• https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en

Language dc:language

English, eng

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/145

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1279