Social Capital–Accrual, Escape-From-Self, and Time-Displacement Effects of Internet Use During the COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Period: Prospective, Quantitative Survey Study

Abstract

Background COVID-19 has spread like wildfire across the globe, prompting many governments to impose unprecedented stay-at-home orders to limit its transmission. During an extended stay-at-home period, individuals may engage in more online leisure activities. Internet use is a double-edged sword that may have both desirable and undesirable effects on psychological well-being, and this study sought to disentangle adaptive from maladaptive internet use amidst this unusual health crisis. Objective The objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence of probable depression during the COVID-19 stay-at-home period and to test three hypothesized risk reduction or risk elevation mechanisms, namely social capital–accrual, escape-from-self, and time-displacement effects. Methods This study took place from March to May 2020 at the early stage of the pandemic. The study adopted a prospective design, with an online survey administered to 573 UK and 474 US adult residents at two assessment points 2 months apart. Results The prevalence of moderate to severe depression was 36% (bootstrap bias-corrected and accelerated [BCa] 95% CI 33%-39%) at Time 1 (ie, initial time point) and 27% (bootstrap BCa 95% CI 25%-30%) at Time 2 (ie, follow-up time point). The results supported the social capital–accrual hypothesis by showing that the approach coping style was inversely associated with Time 2 depression through its positive associations with both social networking and perceived family support. The results also supported the escape-from-self hypothesis by revealing that the avoidant coping style was positively associated with Time 2 depression through its positive associations with both gaming and cyberbullying victimization, but the serial mediation model was no longer significant after Time 1 depression and some demographic risk factors had been controlled for. Finally, the results supported the time-displacement hypothesis by showing that gaming was positively associated with Time 2 depression through its inverse associations with social networking and perceived family support. Conclusions During the extended stay-at-home period in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of probable depression during the 2-month study period was high among the UK and US residents. Individuals with distinct coping styles may engage in different types of online leisure activities and perceive varying levels of social support, which are associated with risks of probable depression.

Adjustment to a “New Normal:” Coping Flexibility and Mental Health Issues During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The role of effective coping in mitigating mental health problems depends largely on the extent to which a deployed strategy meets the specific demands of the stressful encounter concerned. For instance, playing online games or browsing social network sites can be stress-relieving during leisure time (52,53), but prolonged gameplay or social media use can impair work or academic performance while working or studying from home (54). These findings are in line with the theory of coping flexibility, highlighting the beneficial role of flexible coping in soothing mental health problems experienced during the pandemic.…”

Public Emotional and Coping Responses to the COVID-19 Infodemic: A Review and Recommendations

“…In the present digital age, many people deploy information seeking as a coping strategy to mitigate heightened anxiety and gain pragmatic and epistemic control over perceived health threats and uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic. Such information-seeking tendencies have been exacerbated by the stay-at-home orders and restrictions implemented in many countries, such as lockdowns, curfews, and teleworking ( 11 ). People also reported expending more effort and time than usual on seeking information through the Internet when living under these measures for disease prevention ( 12 ).…”

Positive Youth Development Attributes and Parenting as Protective Factors Against Adolescent Social Networking Addiction in Hong Kong

“…Researchers have reported evidence of a broad range of benefits to young people associated with the use of SNSs, such as media literacy, creativity, positive education outcomes, civic participation, and well-being (3). There are also findings showing that support and social bond available from online social networking can reduce depressive symptoms, especially during COVID-19 (4,5).…”

“…However, intensive involvement in online social networking activities increases the risk of developing problematic SNS use or social networking addiction (SNA) (6). Ample evidence exists to suggest that SNA may lead to a variety of negative psychosocial and physical outcomes (5,7). Researchers also found that adolescents are particularly susceptible to SNA (8) due to their unique developmental characteristics.…”