Social support and self-concept clarity as mediators between college students’ passive social network site use and loneliness

The current study tested the mediating roles of social support and self-concept clarity in the relationship between passive social network site use and loneliness. A total of 709 undergraduate students (females = 44.15%, mean age = 19.10, SD = 0.95) completed the Passive Social Network Questionnaire, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Self-Concept Clarity Scale as well as the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Latent variables structural equation modelling analysis indicated that passive social network site use was negatively associated with loneliness. Social support and self-concept clarity significantly mediated the relationship between passive social network site use and loneliness, reducing the risk for loneliness, and with sequential mediating effects of social support and self-esteem. This study’s findings suggest that the passive use of social networking sites can help students gain more social support, improve self-concept clarity, and in turn reduce loneliness. Increasing social support and enhancing self-concept clarity through psychological intervention programmes may be an effective way to reduce individual loneliness.