Page 33 - Never Too Far Away? The Roles of Social Network Sites in Sojourners’ Adjustment

al., 2001; Zhang & Goodson, 2011), I conceptualize greater psychological adjustment in this dissertation as indicated by lower depressive symptoms. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by providing an empirical investigation of the theorized reciprocal interactions of social interactions, support, and adjustment (Meng et al., 2017; Trepte & Scharkow, 2016).
Chapter 3 aims to test the differential influences of the same three types of social interactions with family and friends (face-to-face interactions with the host- country network, SNS interactions with the host- and the home-country networks) on a negative subjective outcome that is highly relevant to sojourners’ experiences (i.e., homesickness), and its eventual effect on sociocultural adjustment. Chapter 3 clarifies the long-term and short-term reciprocal effects between social interactions and homesickness, as well as homesickness and sociocultural adjustment. Current theorizing in this area of study suggests these reciprocal associations (Stroebe et al., 2015a&b), but to my knowledge, no study has been conducted to investigate these predictions in one model. This dissertation aims to fill this gap in the current literature.
In Chapter 4, I limit the context of investigation to a more intimate relational context, romantic relationships. This empirical chapter aims to compare the use of SNSs in the maintenance of (international sojourners’) LDRR and GCRR. This study contributes to existing theorizing by investigating the relative importance of SNS in maintaining LDRR compared to GCRR, specifically in the use of SNS to express involvement and to gauge a partner’s involvement in the relationship. I test the hypothesis that SNS is used more by those in LDRR than individuals in GCRR for relationship maintenance.
Chapter 5 aims to extend the application of the general framework of social interactions, subjective outcomes, and sojourners’ adjustment to a more intimate relational context, such as a romantic relationship. Following the same assumptions as in personal perceived social support, I propose a mediation model which predicts that SNSs use impacts relational adjustment via relationship support. I define relational adjustment on the basis of relationship quality indicators that are compromised in cases of geographic separation between romantic partners (Vitak, 2014). These relational adjustment indicators are: Relationship stability (continuation and survival of the relationship) and satisfaction (positive feelings about the relationship) (Felmlee, 2001; Rusbult & Buunk, 1993). In this study, I compare the proposed mediation model among international sojourners in LDRR and individuals from the general population in GCRR.
Introduction 31