Socializing in the Digital Era: Examining How Social Activities Influence Momentary Emotions in Mothers of Infants

Abstract

Abstract The transition to parenthood is a period of heightened emotion; while deeply rewarding, it is also a stressful time, marked by an increased risk of mental health problems. Socializing is vital for parents’ mental health and may buffer these risks. However, little is known about how different forms of socializing relate to parents’ emotional well-being, or how individual differences in internalizing symptoms (depression and anxiety) may modify these associations. The present study examined real-time associations between social activities and mothers’ momentary affect, with a focus on comparing in-person socializing, virtual socializing (e.g., FaceTime, phone calls, instant messaging, text, or email), and social media use (e.g., browsing or posting on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok). Two hundred and fifty mothers (Mean age = 33.2 years, range = 19–45, 51.5% Hispanic/Latinx) with infants (Mean age = 9.4 months, range = 3–23 months, 52.8% female, 57% Hispanic/Latinx) completed an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol for up to 14 days (6 surveys/day). Results showed that in-person socializing was significantly associated with increased positive affect and reduced negative affect, whereas socializing virtually was associated with heightened negative (but not positive) affect. Social media use showed no significant associations with either affective outcome. In addition, the associations between socializing and momentary affect differed by mothers’ internalizing symptoms. Mothers with higher internalizing symptoms reported lower positive affect during virtual socializing. They also reported lower negative affect during in-person socializing but increased negative affect when socializing virtually. Our results suggest that for emotionally vulnerable mothers, in-person connection serves as a buffer against emotional distress, whereas virtual socializing and social media use may attenuate momentary positive affect.