ERIC Number: EJ1448305
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 5
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0744-8481
EISSN: EISSN-1940-3208
Available Date: N/A
Sad-Fishing: Understanding a Maladaptive Social Media Behavior in College Students
Cara Petrofes; Krista Howard; Azucena Mayberry; Catherine Bitney; Natalie Ceballos
Journal of American College Health, v72 n8 p2352-2356 2024
Objective: We investigated psychological factors that might predispose individuals to sad-fish or exaggerate their emotional state online to generate sympathy. Participants: Participants (N = 347) were collegiate social media users from a large university in the Southcentral United States. Methods: Participants completed an anonymous online survey and were categorized as sad-fishers or non-sad-fishers. Groups were compared on attachment style and levels of interpersonal and online social support. Results: Sad-fishers trended toward anxious attachment. Groups did not differ on perceived interpersonal or online social support. Anxious attachment was significantly negatively associated with interpersonal support. Conclusions: Sad-fishing may not be triggered by an acute perceived lack of social support, but rather, may be more strongly related to the persistent trait of anxious attachment. This is a starting-point for understanding the relatively new phenomenon of sad-fishing and may aid in discerning how best to clinically intervene with those who sad-fish.
Descriptors: Behavior Problems, Social Media, Social Support Groups, Intervention, Psychological Patterns, Anxiety, Attachment Behavior, Computer Mediated Communication, Comparative Analysis, Interpersonal Relationship, Counseling Techniques, College Students, Rating Scales, Student Attitudes, Correlation
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A