Do you “like” me? The roles of Facebook reassurance seeking and attachment style on depression

Excessive reassurance seeking and insecure attachment are known risk factors for depression. However, with the digitization of relationships through social media, it is unclear how these interpersonal vulnerabilities correspond to an online context. The objective of this study was to expand interpersonal theories of depression by evaluating online social behavior. This study assessed the influence of Facebook reassurance seeking on concurrent depressive symptoms, as well as the moderating role of attachment anxiety in this association. A sample of 458 undergraduates (68% female; Mage = 18.54) completed computer-based questionnaires of offline reassurance seeking, Facebook reassurance seeking, attachment style, and depression. Contrary to hypotheses, Facebook reassurance seeking was not associated with depressive symptoms. However, a significant interaction indicated that for those higher in attachment anxiety, more Facebook reassurance seeking was associated with lessened depressive symptoms. Findings indicate that reassurance seeking in the form of seeking “likes” or comments may not be as harmful as offline reassurance seeking and may even pose a benefit for certain subgroups.