Social Media Use and Online Racial Discrimination Associated with Negative Psychological Outcomes of Asian Americans and Racial Groups: A Cross-Sectional Survey in the United States during COVID-19 (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND During the COVID-19 pandemic, increased social media usage has led to worsened mental health outcomes for many people. Moreover, due to the sociopolitical climate during the pandemic, the prevalence of online racial discrimination has contributed to worsening psychological wellbeing as well. With increases in anti-Asian hate, Asian and Asian American social media users may experience the negative effects of online racial discrimination in addition to reduced psychological wellbeing due to exposure to online COVID-19 content. OBJECTIVE This study investigated the impact of COVID-19 related social media use and exposure to online racial discrimination during the pandemic on the mental health outcomes (i.e. anxiety, depression, and secondary traumatic stress) of Asian Americans compared to non-Asian Americans. Additionally, this study explored the mediating role of negative affect and the moderating role of racial/ethnic identification. METHODS An online survey was conducted through Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and a university-wide research portal from March 3rd through March 15th, 2021. A total of 1147 participants took the survey. Participants’ social media usage related to COVID-19 and exposure to two online forms of racial discrimination (individual and vicarious), mental health outcomes of anxiety, depression, and secondary traumatic stress, racial/ethnic identification, negative affect, and demographics were assessed. RESULTS An online survey was conducted through Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and a university-wide research portal from March 3rd through March 15th, 2021. A total of 1147 participants took the survey. Participants’ social media usage related to COVID-19 and exposure to two online forms of racial discrimination (individual and vicarious), mental health outcomes of anxiety, depression, and secondary traumatic stress, racial/ethnic identification, negative affect, and demographics were assessed. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that social media exposure continues to have a dire effect on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study helps to contextualize the rise of Asian American hate and its impact on mental health outcomes in the United States.