The Impact of Social Media on College Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: a Multinational Review of the Existing Literature

Haddad, Jessica; Macenski, Christina L.; Mosier-Mills, Alison; Hibara, Alice; Kester, Katherine; Schneider, Marguerite; Conrad, Rachel; Liu, Cindy H.

doi:10.1007/s11920-021-01288-y

Cited by 81 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 80 publications

(32 reference statements)

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“…Students reported using social media and technology to maintain contact with family members and find information, an important coping strategy to deal with the pandemic lockdown found on other studies ( 34 , 42 , 44 ). This fits well within the concept of digital natives ( 45 ): many of today's students feel comfortable with technology from an early age and consider it an integral and necessary part of their lives. Our study supports this concept, especially the positive aspects of social media exposition, such as social connectedness, normalization of behaviors, compliance with government directives and access to support groups.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 72%

“…Unsurprisingly, students mainly had a positive attitude toward online teaching and learning activities ( 46 ). Nevertheless, some scholars ( 45 , 47 ) point out negative consequences such as loneliness, psychological distress, sleep deprivation, emotional anxiety, the spread of misinformation, and difficulty to discern facts from fiction.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Psychological Responses and Strategies Towards the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Higher Education Students in Portugal and Switzerland: A Mixed-Methods Study

et al. 2022

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BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has caused overwhelming changes in individual and community daily-life, resulting from the public health measures implemented to contain it, and also from its psychological and socio-economic consequences. These shifts and consequences impacted the entire population, but some groups are more likely to be affected by these changes, including higher education students.Objectivesa) to investigate mental health status and its determinants among higher-education students in Portugal and Switzerland; and b) to explore adjustment patterns used by these students to overcome the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA cross-sectional study with a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design was conducted in two phases. First, an online survey was conducted among higher education students in Portugal and Switzerland, in Portuguese and French respectively. A convenience sampling method was used. Second, some participants from the first phase were invited to participate in four online focus group discussions (two in each country) using a maximum variation sampling method.ResultsThe survey was answered by 1,880 students. Portuguese students revealed higher levels of stress and anxiety, but lower depression symptoms and less resilient coping compared to Swiss respondents. Hope was identified as an explanatory variable for mental health symptoms in students from both countries. In the focus groups (n = 27), 13 adjustment strategies were found, which were subdivided into three spheres: personal, social, and contextual.ConclusionsThe results suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic had a mild to moderate impact on most of the evaluated mental health variables. Nevertheless, the students reacted and mobilized positive short-term strategies, which need to be reinforced in order to prevent long-term psychological harm. In addition, our results can inform psychosocial interventions to minimize psychological impact, anxiety, depression, and stress due to sanitary crises or other population-wide problems or disasters.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 72%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychological Responses and Strategies Towards the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Higher Education Students in Portugal and Switzerland: A Mixed-Methods Study

et al. 2022

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“…This result corroborates with previous studies elsewhere that have linked the higher levels of exposure to social media with poor mental health outcomes before 27 , 40 , 41 and during the pandemic. 7 , 21 , 23 - 25 , 42 Moreover, we note a higher concentration of respondents reporting the highest level of SMU and worst mental health during the first year of the pandemic versus the second year (2020 > 2021). The decrease of SMU and the improvement of mental status of the respondents may have been influenced by the gradual easing of lockdown measures, similar to what was noted in a previous longitudinal study in Austria.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Problematic versus reflective use: Types of social media use as determinants of mental health among young Filipino undergraduates

Cleofas

Dayrit

Albao

2022

Health Promot Perspect

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Background: The link between problematic social media use (SMU) and mental health among youth has been established. However, there is insufficient information on how mental health is influenced by COVID-19 pandemic-related changes and positive aspects of SMU. This study aims to determine the relationship of pandemic-related changes in SMU, and two types of SMU (problematic and reflective use) with mental health among young Filipino undergraduates. Methods: A total of 1087 Filipino undergraduates aged 18 to 30 years old participated in this cross-sectional study. Data collection via online survey was conducted in August 2021. Results: Findings indicate the significant association between the perceived changes in SMU and mental health among respondents (P<0.001). In terms of type of use, results suggest that students who demonstrate lower problematic SMU (B=-0.608, P<0.001, 95% CI=-0.955 – -0.259) and higher reflective SMU (B=3.524, P<0.001, 95% CI=2.051– 4.895) had higher mental wellbeing. Moreover, poorer mental wellbeing was observed among females and LGBTQ+ respondents with poorer internet quality (P<0.05). Conclusion: Mental health among young Filipino undergraduates is influenced by pandemic-related changes and types of SMU. With the increasing necessity of social media amid the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health practitioners and advocates can increase their visibility online to promote reflective SMU as a protective factor against mental health decline.

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“…Current research confirms that many colleges EAs struggled with online and remote connection, resulting in increases in anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem (Rajkumar, 2020 ), especially among marginalized groups. Future research should focus on treatment interventions that address the rise in technology use among all EAs during the pandemic (Haddad et al, 2021 ) but especially among EAs from oppressed groups. Moreover, as of this writing, EAs have returned to campuses for the 2021–22 school year.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Building Resilience: Helping Emerging Adults Cope During the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic

Soboti

2022

Clin Soc Work J

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The rapid spread of COVID-19 led to, among other things, confusion in news coverage and public health safety. In academe, university leaders were pressured to quickly construct new plans for holding university classes while integrating the safety protocols required by government officials. Though this sudden shift may have been necessary, it also disrupted the biopsychosocial needs, developmental norms, and milestones of emerging adults on college campuses. Current research on emerging adults’ biopsychosocial needs during COVID-19 is scant, and research efforts may have been diverted due to the suddenness of campus shutdowns. Social work clinicians nonetheless need a theoretical framework that primarily focuses on emerging adults’ needs during and post pandemic. Therapeutic settings create platforms for emerging adults to share their stories and for clinicians to understand their clients’ lived experiences during a pandemic such as COVID-19. An awareness of how the experience of shared trauma can affect the therapeutic relationship is crucial to the wellbeing of both client and clinician. This composite case study illustrates a treatment intervention constructed from resilience theory that included narrating what unfolded, learning emotional regulation, building sources of support, and making meaning of the experience. The framework in this paper suggests that resilience theory can be an effective therapeutic approach for emerging adults during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and recommends further attention to the role of social workers in higher education.

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The Impact of Social Media on College Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: a Multinational Review of the Existing Literature

Cited by 81 publications

References 80 publications

Psychological Responses and Strategies Towards the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Higher Education Students in Portugal and Switzerland: A Mixed-Methods Study

Psychological Responses and Strategies Towards the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Higher Education Students in Portugal and Switzerland: A Mixed-Methods Study

Problematic versus reflective use: Types of social media use as determinants of mental health among young Filipino undergraduates

Building Resilience: Helping Emerging Adults Cope During the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic

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