Leveraging Facebook for Mental Health Promotion: The Role of Information Acquisition, Social Support, and Belongingness Among Asian Americans

This study examined how Asian Americans acquire and share mental health information on Facebook, with particular attention to the roles of social support and belongingness. Recognizing the cultural and structural barriers they face, including high levels of stigma and low rates of help-seeking, this study highlights how digital engagement on social media may facilitate connection and information exchange. Grounded our work in social support and belongingness theories, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of Asian Americans (N = 467) to investigate associations among three forms of mental health information acquisition (including scanning, seeking, and discussion), perceived social support (including informational and emotional support), belongingness, and the intention to share mental health information. Results showed that all three acquisition methods were positively associated with both dimensions of perceived social support. Furthermore, perceived emotional support emerged as a stronger predictor of belongingness than perceived informational support. Finally, belongingness was positively associated with the intention to share mental health information. These findings extend theoretical understanding of the interplay between mental health information acquisition, distinct dimensions of .social support, and belongingness in online health contexts and provide practical insights for promoting mental health among Asian Americans through Facebook.