scholarly journals ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECT OF SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE AND COVID-19 PANDEMIC NEWS UPDATES ON THE MENTAL WELL-BEING OF STUDENTS DURING THE LOCKDOWN IN INDIA

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Parikshit Sen ◽  
Vatsala Khurana ◽  
Surajeet Patra ◽  
Binita Goswami ◽  
Nikhil Gupta

As a result of the Lockdown imposed by the Government of India, social media usage has considerably increased among students. A constant urge to keep oneself updated with the news regarding the pandemic has also been observed, which has inevitably led to students getting exposed to a constant stream of negative news. To investigate the effect of the time spent on social media and the time spent self-updating on news related to the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental well-being of 138 undergraduate college students, aged 18 to 24. A voluntary online questionnaire using the Affectometer 2 scale was used during the 5th week of the lockdown. We found a strong negative correlation between the time spent on social media and the mental well-being of students, while no statistically significant correlation between the time spent self-updating on COVID-19 related news and mental well-being was found. It is important that students use social media in moderation and find alternative avenues for recreation, to prevent unnecessary stress and potential adverse effects on their mental health, and thus maintain their psychological well-being.

Author(s):  
Ranjit Kumar Dehury ◽  
Rajeev Kumar

Mental wellbeing was the centerpiece of the Indian system of medicine. Many healthcare issues are resolved by the peace of mind and brain stimulating processes. Of late, Government of India adopted many systems of medicines that are complementary to the modern allopathic medicines and named it AYUSH system of medicine. In this Ayurveda, Yoga, Homoeopathy, Siddha, Unani, Swa-rigppa, and additional healing systems are represented. There is also a great need for psychological wellbeing due to the rapid increase in stressful life situations. The current modern medical care is not adequate to provide mental health services in the society. At the same time, many indigenous and AYUSH system have come into action and solve the problem the best way it possible. The chapter focuses on the role of AYUSH system in catering to mental wellbeing in India. The policies of the government of India are to promote mental health and wellbeing in society. The specialties of various systems of medicine in curing the mental health conditions have been elaborated.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Carboni Jiménez ◽  
Monica Vaillancourt ◽  
Patricia Zhu ◽  
Quinta Seon

There are seemingly opposing findings on social media’s effect on mental well-being. Some studies report no detrimental effects, others no association and others even positive or buffering effects. However, social media has rapidly evolved in a short span of time and so has people’s use of the platforms. Collecting an accurate measure of social media use and other methodological challenges particularly affect data in this area. In this commentary, we discuss two longitudinal studies to elaborate these contracting findings on social media and mental health.


10.2196/19556 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. e19556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Araz Ramazan Ahmad ◽  
Hersh Rasool Murad

Background In the first few months of 2020, information and news reports about the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were rapidly published and shared on social media and social networking sites. While the field of infodemiology has studied information patterns on the Web and in social media for at least 18 years, the COVID-19 pandemic has been referred to as the first social media infodemic. However, there is limited evidence about whether and how the social media infodemic has spread panic and affected the mental health of social media users. Objective The aim of this study is to determine how social media affects self-reported mental health and the spread of panic about COVID-19 in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Methods To carry out this study, an online questionnaire was prepared and conducted in Iraqi Kurdistan, and a total of 516 social media users were sampled. This study deployed a content analysis method for data analysis. Correspondingly, data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results Participants reported that social media has a significant impact on spreading fear and panic related to the COVID-19 outbreak in Iraqi Kurdistan, with a potential negative influence on people’s mental health and psychological well-being. Facebook was the most used social media network for spreading panic about the COVID-19 outbreak in Iraq. We found a significant positive statistical correlation between self-reported social media use and the spread of panic related to COVID-19 (R=.8701). Our results showed that the majority of youths aged 18-35 years are facing psychological anxiety. Conclusions During lockdown, people are using social media platforms to gain information about COVID-19. The nature of the impact of social media panic among people varies depending on an individual's gender, age, and level of education. Social media has played a key role in spreading anxiety about the COVID-19 outbreak in Iraqi Kurdistan.


Author(s):  
Ranjit Kumar Dehury ◽  
Rajeev Kumar

Mental wellbeing was the centerpiece of the Indian system of medicine. Many healthcare issues are resolved by the peace of mind and brain stimulating processes. Of late, Government of India adopted many systems of medicines that are complementary to the modern allopathic medicines and named it AYUSH system of medicine. In this Ayurveda, Yoga, Homoeopathy, Siddha, Unani, Swa-rigppa, and additional healing systems are represented. There is also a great need for psychological wellbeing due to the rapid increase in stressful life situations. The current modern medical care is not adequate to provide mental health services in the society. At the same time, many indigenous and AYUSH system have come into action and solve the problem the best way it possible. The chapter focuses on the role of AYUSH system in catering to mental wellbeing in India. The policies of the government of India are to promote mental health and wellbeing in society. The specialties of various systems of medicine in curing the mental health conditions have been elaborated.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Carboni Jiménez ◽  
Monica Vaillancourt ◽  
Patricia Zhu ◽  
Quinta Seon

There are seemingly opposing findings on social media’s effect on mental well-being. Some studies report no detrimental effects, others no association and others even positive or buffering effects. However, social media has rapidly evolved in a short span of time and so has people’s use of the platforms. Collecting an accurate measure of social media use and other methodological challenges particularly affect data in this area. In this commentary, we discuss two longitudinal studies to elaborate these contracting findings on social media and mental health.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naureen Akber Ali ◽  
Anam Shahil Feroz ◽  
Noshaba Ali ◽  
Ridah Feroz ◽  
Salima Nazim Meghani ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly resulted in an increased level of anxiety and fear among the general population related to its management and infection spread. Due to the current unprecedented situation the normal routine life of every individual has been hindered which may cause florid mental distress. Considering the relevance of present circumstances we explored perceptions and attitudes of community members towards COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on their mental well-being. Methods: We conducted an exploratory qualitative study using a purposive sampling approach, at two communities of Karachi, Pakistan. In-depth interviews were conducted with community members including, young adults, middle-age adults, and older adults of both genders. Study data was analyzed manually using the conventional content analysis technique. Results: A total of 27 in-depth interviews were conducted, between May and June, 2020. Three overarching themes were identified: (I) Impact of COVID-19 on mental health of the general communities; (II) Current coping mechanisms to adapt to the new reality; and (III) Recommendations to address mental health of communities. Generally community members underwent increased anxiety and fear due to the contagious nature of the virus. Alongside, social, financial and religious repercussions of the pandemic have also heightened psychological distress among community members. However, community members were able to point out some of the coping mechanisms such as getting closer to God, connecting with family, participating in mental health sessions and resetting lives by indulging in diverse activities. Simultaneously, they also recommended the need of remote mental health services for elders and continuous efforts by the government to address mental health needs of the community at larger scale.Conclusion: COVID-19-associated mental health consequences have hit every individual in the society. The study finding has the potentialto guide the development of context-specific innovative mental health programs to overcome the pandemic repercussions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 9198
Author(s):  
Marta R. Jabłońska ◽  
Karolina Zajdel ◽  
Radosław Zajdel

After more than a year in a pandemic world, more than 171 million people worldwide have been infected and over 3.5 million have died. The number of those who have suffered mentally due to the pandemic is well above this number. The virus, lockdowns, forced quarantines, and problems related to jobs and everyday functioning have left their mark on mental health. Additionally, the massive spread of COVID-19 content of varying quality in social media is exacerbating this impact. On the other hand, in times of social distancing, these media are an important link with other people and a source of social support. The impact of the COVID-19 content in social media still requires further exploring. This influence on mental health may also vary geographically. There are more and more reports of discrimination against Asians due to COVID-19. We conducted a survey during lockdown in which 1664 respondents took part. After analyzing the impact of COVID-19 content in social media on the level of life satisfaction, anxiety, and depression, we compared this impact between European and Asian respondents. The results showed that dealing with these contents affects the level of anxiety, depression, and life satisfaction. Although most often these relations turned out to be negative, we have also identified those indicating a positive impact. This was particularly noticeable among Asian respondents, who additionally showed a lower relationship between reading COVID-19 content and their mental well-being than European respondents.


Author(s):  
Andreas Kuettel ◽  
Natalie Durand-Bush ◽  
Carsten H. Larsen

The purpose of this study was (a) to investigate gender differences in mental health among Danish youth soccer players, (b) to discover the mental health profiles of the players, and (c) to explore how career progression and mental health are related. A total of 239 Danish youth elite soccer players (M = 16.85, SD = 1.09) completed an online questionnaire assessing mental well-being, depression, anxiety, along with other background variables. Female players scored significantly lower on mental well-being and had four times higher odds of expressing symptoms of anxiety and depression than males. Athletes’ mental health profiles showed that most athletes experience low depression while having moderate mental well-being. Depression, anxiety, and stress scores generally increased when progressing in age, indicating that the junior–senior transition poses distinct challenges to players’ mental health, especially for female players. Different strategies to foster players’ mental health depending on their mental health profiles are proposed.


Author(s):  
Elizabeth (Liz) FRISSELL ◽  

In this essay, I have outlined the problem social media influencers pose towards the mental health of Generation Z. I subsequently presented a brief history of the ancient school of philosophy known as Stoicism. Finally, I have given a concrete example of how members of Gen Z can utilize the moral theory of the Stoics to not only avoid the negative mental health impacts of influencers, but use social media to positively impact their and their peers mental well-being


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 5731
Author(s):  
NagavaishnaviV Bhaskara ◽  
BhavanaS Nandanur ◽  
Ananya Chakraborty ◽  
Suchandra Ghosh

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