Any time and place? Digital emotional support for digital natives.

Colasante, Lin, De France & Hollenstein (2022) published “Any Time and Place? Digital emotional support for digital natives” in American Psychologist. This study is helpful in supporting the use of telehealth. Here’s the abstract:  

“Digital natives (i.e., those who have grown up in the digital age) are likely to receive emotional support through digital means, such as texting and video calling. However, virtually all studies assessing the benefits of emotional support have focused on in-person support; the relative efficacy of digital support remains unclear. This study assessed a sample of young adults’ negative emotions, digital and in-person support for those emotions, and success in regulating them 3 times per day for 14 days (N = 164; 6,530 collective measurement occasions). Participants’ social surroundings at the time of each negative emotion and trait levels of social avoidance were also considered. Digital support was expected to be received more often and perceived as more effective for regulating negative emotions when participants were alone and higher in social avoidance. However, with the exception of those higher in social avoidance receiving less digital (and in-person) support, digital support was received and perceived as effective regardless of these factors, and its perceived effectiveness was on par with that of in-person support. For digital natives, digital support may be just as effective as the “real thing” and its benefits may not be restricted to isolated or socially avoidant users. Findings are discussed in relation to the emotional consequences and social constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic. If transcending the time and space limitations of in-person support with digital support is the new norm, the good news is that it seems to be working. “

They note that, “Alone or not, digital natives seem to be taking advantage of the immediacy and ubiquitous availability of emotional support.” This study makes it clear that those who experience social avoidance are generally more difficult to help whether digitally or in-person. Otherwise, for digital natives, telehealth may be just as effective as in-person therapy. They conclude that, “Prevailing biases against digital interactions may be depriving some of an accessible and successful regulatory tool in a time of crisis.”