| dc.description.abstract | This study attempts to answer the question whether emotional problems are predicting online
self-disclosure, and whether there is a moderating role of social support (parents, teachers,
and classmates) and gender in this relationship among Dutch youth. Previous studies found
relationships between emotional problems (e.g. depressed moods, anxiety) and online selfdisclosure. However, the role of offline support and gender has not been studied before, which
is a scientific gap. To answer these questions, I used the 2017 data from the Health Behaviour
in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, which has a sample of Dutch youth (N = 8980) aged
between 10 and 20 years old (M = 13.62, SD = 1.92). As expected, emotional problems
predict a preference for online self-disclosure, and this relationship is moderated by teacher
support and gender. Contradicting the hypotheses, parental support and classroom
environment do not moderate the relationship between emotional problems and (preference
for) online self-disclosure. Concludingly, Dutch youth experiencing emotional problems are
more likely to talk about their experiences online. Receiving more support from teachers
makes people experiencing emotional problems less likely to disclose themselves online, and
girls with emotional problems are more likely to disclose themselves online compared to
boys. Therefore, interventions for youth with emotional problems could focus on improving
teacher-student relationships or online types of therapy. Furthermore, there should be more
attention for interventions for girls. | |
