Digital natives (i.e., those who have grown up in the digital age) are likely to receive emotional support through digital means, such as texting and video calling. However, virtually all studies assessing the benefits of emotional support have focused on in-person support; the relative efficacy of digital support remains unclear. This study assessed a sample of young adults’ negative emotions, digital and in-person support for those emotions, and success in regulating them 3 times per day for 14 days (N = 164; 6,530 collective measurement occasions). Participants’ social surroundings at the time of each negative emotion and trait levels of social avoidance were also considered. Digital support was expected to be received more often and perceived as more effective for regulating negative emotions when participants were alone and higher in social avoidance. However, with the exception of those higher in social avoidance receiving less digital (and in-person) support, digital support was received and perceived as effective regardless of these factors, and its perceived effectiveness was on par with that of in-person support. For digital natives, digital support may be just as effective as the “real thing” and its benefits may not be restricted to isolated or socially avoidant users. Findings are discussed in relation to the emotional consequences and social constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic. If transcending the time and space limitations of in-person support with digital support is the new norm, the good news is that it seems to be working. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

中文翻译：

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任何时间和地点？为数字原住民提供数字情感支持。

数字原住民（即在数字时代长大的人）很可能通过短信和视频通话等数字方式获得情感支持。然而，几乎所有评估情感支持益处的研究都集中在面对面的支持上。数字支持的相对效力仍不清楚。本研究评估了年轻人的负面情绪样本、对这些情绪的数字和面对面支持，以及在 14 天内每天 3 次成功调节这些情绪（N = 164；6,530 次集体测量）。还考虑了参与者在每种负面情绪时的社交环境和社交回避的特质水平。当参与者独处且社交回避程度较高时，预计数字支持会更频繁地获得并被认为更有效地调节负面情绪。然而，除了社交回避程度较高的人接受较少的数字（和面对面）支持外，无论这些因素如何，数字支持都被接受并被认为是有效的，并且其感知效果与面对面支持相当。对于数字原住民来说，数字支持可能与“真实事物”一样有效，其好处可能不限于孤立或社交回避的用户。讨论了与 COVID-19 大流行的情绪后果和社会约束有关的调查结果。如果通过数字支持超越现场支持的时间和空间限制是新规范，好消息是它似乎奏效了。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2021 APA，保留所有权利）