While there is no proven negative impact on the psychological well-being of students who use Facebook to grieve, it can cause prolonged depression, according to a study done at the University of Illinois.
Amanda Vicary, a graduate student in psychology, said she started the study following the mass shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University in 2007 and 2008, respectively. She said she hoped to grasp the emotional state of students who had been affected by these events.
She observed the media emphasis on students’ reliance on the Internet after the shootings, but that it remained unclear whether this did more harm than good, Vicary said.
Facebook groups were created in honour of the 32 victims of the Virginia Tech Massacre and the group was quickly inundated with messages and images.
Eight-nine per cent of those surveyed for the study joined a commemorative Facebook group, with 77 per cent posting photos of the victims as their profile pictures, Vicary said.
“The research showed that students did not receive an objective benefit in terms of their psychological well-being,” Vicary said. However, she said she didn’t think it was a reason not to join a commemorative group.
Seventy-one per cent of students grieving through Facebook experienced long-lasting depression, with over half displaying symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to the survey.
It would seem online grieving does prolong the mourning process, said Emily Miller, a social worker at the Capilano Care Centre in B.C. She said the effects of online memorial groups are “similar to having a memorial service . . . stretched out over a two-week period.” Facebook could be blamed for lengthened feelings of depression or PTSD, she said, but “there is an element of self control.”
It can be hard for students to move on when their Facebook is bombarded with reminders of the death of a loved-one, even though they are able to leave commemorative groups and remove the deceased as a Facebook friend, Miller said.
While the study says there is no psychological difference between those who choose to grieve online and those who don’t, it says the grieving process is extended as a result of online grieving.