title: Facebook, quality of life, and mental health outcomes in post-disaster urban environments: the l'aquila earthquake experience.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An understudied area of interest in post-disaster public health is individuals' use of social networks as a potential determinant of quality of life (QOL) and mental health outcomes. A population-based cross-sectional study was carried out to examine whether continual use of online social networking (Facebook) in an adult population following a massive earthquake was correlated with prevalence of depression and post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) and QOL outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were a sample of 890 adults aged 25-54 who had been exposed to the L'Aquila earthquake of 2009. Definition of "user" required a daily connection to the Facebook online social network for more than 1 h per day from at least 2 years. Depression and PTSD were assessed using the Screening Questionnaire for Disaster Mental Health. QOL outcomes were measured using the World Health Organisation Quality of Life BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) instrument. Logistic regression was carried out to calculate the prevalence odds ratios (POR) for social network use and other covariates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two hundred and twenty one of 423 (52.2%) men, and 195 of 383 (50.9%) women, had been using Facebook as social network for at least 2 years prior to our assessment. Social network use correlated with both depression and PTSD, after adjusting for gender. A halved risk of depression was found in users vs. non-users (POR 0.50 ± 0.16). Similarly, a halved risk of PTSD in users vs. non-users (POR 0.47 ± 0.14) was found. Both men and women using online social networks had significantly higher QOL scores in the psychological and social domains of the WHOQOL-BREF.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Social network use among adults 25-54 years old has a positive impact on mental health and QOL outcomes in the years following a disaster. The use of social networks may be an important tool for coping with the mental health outcomes of disruptive natural disasters, helping to maintain, if not improve, QOL in terms of social relationships and psychological distress.
authors.affiliation: Section of Environmental Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Applied Clinical Sciences and Biotechnology, University of L'Aquila , L'Aquila , Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Masedu
authors.affiliation: Section of Neuropsychology, Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila , L'Aquila , Italy.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mazza
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health, Local Health Agency of the National Health System , L'Aquila , Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Di Giovanni
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health, Local Health Agency of the National Health System , L'Aquila , Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Calvarese
authors.affiliation: Section of Environmental Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Applied Clinical Sciences and Biotechnology, University of L'Aquila , L'Aquila , Italy.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tiberti
authors.affiliation: Department of Mental Health, Local Health Agency of the National Health System , L'Aquila , Italy.
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sconci
authors.affiliation: Section of Environmental Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Applied Clinical Sciences and Biotechnology, University of L'Aquila , L'Aquila , Italy ; Department of Mental Health, Local Health Agency of the National Health System , L'Aquila , Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Valenti
keywords: mental health; online social network; post-disaster; quality of life