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Because of recent technological innovations, college freshmen can readily communicate with friends who they see infrequently (e.g., friends from home). The current study addressed whether computer-mediated communication with these distant friends can compensate for a lack of high-quality on-campus friendships during students' first semester of college. Data were collected from 242 freshmen (140 female, Mage = 18.4) at midsemester and 1 month later. At low levels of face-to-face friendship quality, computer-mediated communication with distant friends predicted lower levels of emotional distress. Furthermore, when face-to-face friendship quality was low, depressive affect predicted higher levels of subsequent computer-mediated communication with distant friends. Relations with adjustment also depended on the quality of distant friendships. Implications for helping students transition to college are addressed.
