scholarly journals Centennials, FOMO, and Loneliness: An Investigation of the Impact of Social Networking and Messaging/VoIP Apps Usage During the Initial Stage of the Coronavirus Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Fumagalli ◽  
Marina Belen Dolmatzian ◽  
L. J. Shrum
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Screen Time ◽  
Sampling Procedure ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
Time Usage ◽  
Network Usage ◽  
The Impact

The current COVID-19 pandemic has had obvious, well-documented devastating effects on people's physical health. In this research, we investigate its potential effects on people's mental health. Many people have experienced social isolation, as countries attempt to stem the spread of the disease through confinement and other forms of social distancing. Intuitively, such social isolation may increase feelings of loneliness, and people may take logical steps to reduce their feelings of social isolation and loneliness. One route is through the use of social networking apps (e.g., Facebook, Instagram) and messaging and VoIP apps (e.g., WhatsApp, iMessage). In this research, we investigate the effects of pandemic-induced social isolation on social networking and messaging apps, and potential related effects on loneliness. We surveyed young adults (N = 334) who are part of the Centennial cohort (born after 1995) from three different countries (Italy, Argentina, UK) and obtained their screen time usage data over a 4-week period starting from mid-March 2020. This sampling procedure allowed us to obtain data from respondents who were experiencing different degrees of mandated social isolation (lockdowns), which enabled us to determine whether social network and messaging app usage increased as a function of social isolation, and to test potential effects on levels of loneliness. Results showed that only social network usage increased in the initial stage of confinement as a function of lockdown initiation. Additionally, social network app usage was associated with increased feelings of loneliness, and this relation was mediated by fear of missing out (FOMO). In contrast, messaging app usage was associated with decreased feelings of loneliness, and was unrelated to FOMO. These results suggest that technology may be useful for mitigating the impact of loneliness during social isolation but that it is necessary to promote usage of messaging and VoIP apps, rather than social networking apps, because they are directly associated with decreases in loneliness without increasing FOMO.

scholarly journals Impact of Social Media on Academic Performance

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manahil Jamil ◽  
Qurat ul Ain ◽  
Salma Batool ◽  
Sidra Saadat ◽  
Shaista Malik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
P Value ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Network Usage ◽  
The Impact

Social media is a mode of communication, influencing nearly every field of life. Researchers have found that the use of social media can be addictive, which may cause significant impairment in various aspects of an individual’s life. This study has been designed to investigate the impact of Social Networking on students’ academic performance in Islamabad and Rawalpindi (Pakistan). This Cross-sectional study was conducted from April 2019 to February 2020. 385 students of age 15 to 25 years, enrolled in different educational institutes of twin cities were included in the study. Data was collected using self-designed Questionnaire. Analysis of data was performed using SPSS V.21. Total of 348 participants were included from different educational institutes of Rawalpindi and Islamabad city. Studies show that among youth, teen age group was more addicted to social networking and maximum participants were using social media for more than 3 years for just recreation or relaxation purpose. Though the results do not show statistical significance (Social Network Usage per 24 hours* Negative Effect of social networking on study timings p-value 0.061) but being close to the statistically significant figure, shows that somehow the fact that spending more time on social network has overall negative effect on academic’s outcome. We cross tabulated, duration since using social network with social network usage/24 hours and found statistically significant association between it (i.e. p- value= 0.000) which shows that those who were using social media for longer duration are actually using it for no specific reason or fruitful purpose. Most of the subjects under study were females in both age groups. More time spent on social media in 24 hours affects the study timings negatively thus affecting the study outcome and academic results.

scholarly journals How is the COVID-19 lockdown impacting the mental health of parents of school-age children in the UK? A cross-sectional online survey

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. e043397
Author(s):  
Austen El-Osta ◽  
Aos Alaa ◽  
Iman Webber ◽  
Eva Riboli Sasco ◽  
Emmanouil Bagkeris ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Female Gender ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
School Age ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

ObjectiveInvestigate the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on feelings of loneliness and social isolation in parents of school-age children.DesignCross-sectional online survey of parents of primary and secondary school-age children.SettingCommunity setting.Participants1214 parents of school-age children in the UK.MethodsAn online survey explored the impact of lockdown on the mental health of parents with school-age children, and in particular about feelings of social isolation and loneliness. Associations between the UCLA Three-Item Loneliness Scale (UCLATILS), the Direct Measure of Loneliness (DMOL) and the characteristics of the study participants were assessed using ordinal logistic regression models.Main outcome measuresSelf-reported measures of social isolation and loneliness using UCLATILS and DMOL.ResultsHalf of respondents felt they lacked companionship, 45% had feelings of being left out, 58% felt isolated and 46% felt lonely during the first 100 days of lockdown. The factors that were associated with higher levels of loneliness on UCLATILS were female gender, parenting a child with special needs, lack of a dedicated space for distance learning, disruption of sleep patterns and low levels of physical activity during the lockdown. Factors associated with a higher DMOL were female gender, single parenting, parenting a child with special needs, unemployment, low physical activity, lack of a dedicated study space and disruption of sleep patterns during the lockdown.ConclusionsThe COVID-19 lockdown has increased feelings of social isolation and loneliness among parents of school-age children. The sustained adoption of two modifiable health-seeking lifestyle behaviours (increased levels of physical activity and the maintenance of good sleep hygiene practices) wmay help reduce feelings of social isolation and loneliness during lockdown.

scholarly journals Social isolation and quarantine in the COVID-19 pandemic: impacts on mental health and quality of population life

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. e30510212535
Author(s):  
Gabriel Kiaro Leite Nunes ◽  
Karinne Alice Santos de Araújo ◽  
Thais Ranielle Souza de Oliveira ◽  
Marcelina da Conceição Botelho Teixeira ◽  
Ieler Ferreira Ribeiro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Definitive Treatment ◽  
World Population ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about major changes in the lifestyle of the world population. Due to the lack of vaccines or a definitive treatment for disease, governments around the world have adopted social isolation and quarantine as methods to control the spread of the virus. Objective: Thus, the objective of this study was to discuss how social isolation and quarantine periods affected people's mental health and quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An integrative literature review was carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic between March and September 2020, establishing the following guiding question: How did social isolation and quarantine affect the mental health and quality of life of the population in the COVID-19 pandemic? Results: The final sample consisted of nineteen (19) articles, two (2) addressed depression during the pandemic period, three (3) presented the pandemic and the relationship with sociodemographic aspects, five (5) analyzed mental health in the pandemic, four (4) reported the impact of COVID-19 on the population's style and quality of life and the last five (5) demonstrated the quality of human relationships and emotional aspects in the face of the pandemic. Conclusion: It was demonstrated that isolation and the quarantine period had a negative impact on the population's quality of life and long-term mental health.

scholarly journals Changes in Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in Response to COVID-19 and Their Associations with Mental Health in 3052 US Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (18) ◽  
pp. 6469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob Meyer ◽  
Cillian McDowell ◽  
Jeni Lansing ◽  
Cassandra Brower ◽  
Lee Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Sedentary Behavior ◽  
Screen Time ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Anxiety Symptoms ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Societal Changes ◽  
The Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic altered many facets of life. We aimed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19-related public health guidelines on physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior, mental health, and their interrelations. Cross-sectional data were collected from 3052 US adults 3–8 April 2020 (from all 50 states). Participants self-reported pre- and post-COVID-19 levels of moderate and vigorous PA, sitting, and screen time. Currently-followed public health guidelines, stress, loneliness, positive mental health (PMH), social connectedness, and depressive and anxiety symptoms were self-reported. Participants were grouped by meeting US PA guidelines, reporting ≥8 h/day of sitting, or ≥8 h/day of screen time, pre- and post-COVID-19. Overall, 62% of participants were female, with age ranging from 18–24 (16.6% of sample) to 75+ (9.3%). Self-reported PA was lower post-COVID among participants reporting being previously active (mean change: −32.3% [95% CI: −36.3%, −28.1%]) but largely unchanged among previously inactive participants (+2.3% [−3.5%, +8.1%]). No longer meeting PA guidelines and increased screen time were associated with worse depression, loneliness, stress, and PMH (p < 0.001). Self-isolation/quarantine was associated with higher depressive and anxiety symptoms compared to social distancing (p < 0.001). Maintaining and enhancing physical activity participation and limiting screen time increases during abrupt societal changes may mitigate the mental health consequences.

scholarly journals Rapid Systematic Review: The Impact of Social Isolation and Loneliness on the Mental Health of Children and Adolescents in the Context of COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 59 (11) ◽  
pp. 1218-1239.e3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Elizabeth Loades ◽  
Eleanor Chatburn ◽  
Nina Higson-Sweeney ◽  
Shirley Reynolds ◽  
Roz Shafran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
The Impact

scholarly journals THE IMPACT OF ONLINE GAMING ADDICTION ON MENTAL HEALTH AMONG IIUM STUDENTS

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (11) ◽  
pp. 01-20
Author(s):  
Nur Shazreen Zul Kamal ◽  
Saodah Wok
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Online Gaming ◽  
Sampling Procedure ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Gaming Addiction ◽  
Media Effect ◽  
The Impact

This study was designed to examine the impact of online gaming addiction on mental health among International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) students. The objectives of this study are to determine: (a) the exposure to online gaming, (b) the levels of online gaming addiction and mental health, and (c) the relationship between online gaming addiction and mental health, particularly depression, anxiety, and loneliness. This study employed a quantitative research design with the network sampling procedure applied as the sampling technique for data selection and an online survey questionnaire as the research instrument. A total of 210 respondents participated in this study, comprising both undergraduate and postgraduate students. The findings show that the most popular type of online game is PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), followed by Mobile Legend (ML), Call of Duty (CoD), Defense of the Ancients (DotA), and Free Fire. The levels of online gaming addiction and mental health among IIUM students were found to be significantly low. The relationships between online gaming addiction and mental health components, namely depression, anxiety, and loneliness, were found to be significant and positive. Based on the social cognitive theory tested, all the developed hypotheses were accepted. This study suggests that future research should examine the impact of online gaming addiction on academic performance and physical health. Besides, future research can investigate other theories such as agenda-setting theory, cultivation theory, dependency theory, and media effect theory.

scholarly journals Social network usage, shame, guilt and pride among high school students: Model testing

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 1926
Author(s):  
Uğur Doğan ◽  
Eyüp Çelik ◽  
Yahya Karakaş
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Fit Indices ◽  
School Students ◽  
Network Usage

This study was aimed at testing a model which applies structural equation modeling (SEM) to explain social networking sites (SNS) usage. Performing SEM with a sample of 500 high school students (40% male, 60% female), the model examined the relationships among shame, guilt and pride on SNS, such Facebook and Twitter. It was hypothesized that SNS usage was predicted directly by shame and indirectly by pride and guilt. The SEM showed that shame affected SNS usage directly and positively, while guilt and pride indirectly affected SNS via shame. The fit indices of SEM produced good fit values (χ2 = 0.11, df = 2, χ2/df = 0.055, p = 0.94532, RMSEA = 0.00, GFI = 1.00, AGFI = 1.00, NFI = 1.00, NNFI = 1.00, CFI = 1.00, IFI = 1.00, RMR = 0.039; SRMR = 0.0042). According to these results, high school students’ feelings of shame, guilt and pride are important predictors of SNS usage.

scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Mental Health of University Students in Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hafiz Muhammad Asif ◽  
Hafiz Abdul Sattar
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
University Students ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Family Income ◽  
Sampling Procedure ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Impact

Purpose: A novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 was identified as the cause of COVID-19 eventually led to the declaration of Public health emergency of international concern and a pandemic by WHO due to its exponential global spread. Present study was conducted to investigate the impact of second wave of pandemic on mental wellbeing and social behaviors among university students of Pakistan during this crucial period of COVID-19 infection. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was designed to evaluate the psychosocial impact during the current COVID-19 outbreak among the students of The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Snowball sampling or chain referral sampling procedure was adopted to recruit the participants in the study. Verbal informed consent was taken from all participants before recruitment in the study irrespective of their gender, age and socioeconomic status. Results: Mental health of university students during COVID-19 epidemic was affected to a varying degree revealing that 26.66% were recorded to have mild, 27.15% moderate and 17.04% suffering from severe anxiety out of total 1029 students. Students who were residing in urban areas with parents and having a steady family income were negatively associated and found protective factors against anxiety. However, having a relative or an acquaintance infected with COVID-19 was an independent risk factor for experienced anxiety. Positively associated factors with the level of anxiety symptoms included economic stressors, effects on daily-life, and academic delays whereas social support was negatively correlated with anxiety in COVID-19 related stressors. Conclusion: Public health emergencies and such pandemic are exerting serious psychological impacts on university students. It is recommended that the higher authorities should plan better policies to reduce this impact for the provision of high quality and timely crisis-oriented psychological services to university students.

Social network factors as mediators of mental health and psychological distress

2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 235-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Levula ◽  
Michael Harré ◽  
Andrew Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Indirect Effect ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Sf 36 ◽  
Psychological Distress Scale ◽  
Distress Scale

Background: Although mental health (MH) is overall strongly associated with psychological distress (PD), this association is very weak for the sample with high PD. This relationship remains understudied. Aim: This study examines the association between MH and PD and whether this association is mediated by social network (SN) factors for individuals with high PD. Method: Data were taken from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia study ( N = 756). MH was measured using the MH sub-scale of the general health survey (Short Form (SF)-36) and PD was measured using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). The SN measures were derived from the self-completion questionnaire. Using bootstrap mediation analysis, we tested whether the association between MH and PD is mediated by SN factors. Result: The correlation between MH and PD was r = −.410 ( p < .001). The mediational analysis results show that social isolation mediates the association between MH and PD with an indirect effect of β = −0.0070 (confidence interval (CI) = −0.0133 to −0.0023). Moreover, social connections also mediated the association between MH and PD with an indirect effect of β = −0.0073 (CI = −0.0141 to −0.0028). Conclusion: This study has practical implications for the design of social policies that attempt to reduce social isolation and enhance social connectedness to protect MH.

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