title: The role of social media use in improving cancer survivors' emotional well-being: a moderated mediation study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In the USA, levels of emotional well-being among cancer survivors remain low. Social media is recognized as important to improve their emotional well-being. However, little is known about social mechanisms that underlie the impact of health-related social media in cancer care. This study proposed a moderated mediation model to signify a pathway linking social media use to emotional well-being.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four-hundred and fifty-nine cancer survivors identified through the 2013 US-based Health Information National Trends Survey were included for data analysis. First, structural equation modeling was conducted to examine the path from social media use to emotional well-being, mediated by patient activation. Second, hierarchical regression was performed to test the moderation effect of emotion management. Last, a normal theory-based approach was used to explore the final moderated mediation model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The effect of health-related social media use on emotional well-being was completely mediated by patient activation. Also, emotion management positively moderated the effect of patient activation on emotional well-being. Last, emotion management positively moderated the mediation pathway from health-related social media use to patient activation, and finally, to emotional well-being.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Health-related social media, by itself, is not sufficient to bring about improvement in cancer survivors' emotional well-being. Patient activation and emotion management play a significant role.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In future interventions designed to improve cancer survivors' emotional health, health practitioners should not only encourage cancer survivors to use social media for health purposes, but also activate them in the course of care, and improve their emotion self-management skills.
authors.affiliation: Department of Communication, Texas A&M University, 102 Bolton Hall, MS 4234 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843-4234, USA. shaohai.jiang@tamu.edu.
authors.forename: Shaohai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health / Q000639:trends*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D061108:Social Media / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cancer care; Emotion management; Emotional well-being; Health-related social media use; Patient activation