COVID-19 Stress and Depression: Examining Social Media, Traditional Media, and Interpersonal Communication

Abstract

Prior research has found that infectious disease outbreaks such as that of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are associated with adverse mental health, especially among individuals with more exposure to COVID-19. Less studied are the possible relationships of media use and interpersonal communication as they relate to COVID-19 exposure and mental health outcomes. In the current study, a structural equation model tested the direct and indirect relationships of a variety of proximity variables including COVID-19 exposure, media use (traditional and social), and interpersonal communication on stress and depression with a U.S. sample of 1,545 adults. Results found that COVID-19 exposure had a direct effect on stress and an indirect effect on stress and depression through media use (traditional and social) and interpersonal communication.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• mental health
• media
• interpersonal communication

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jennifer M. First

Jennifer M. First, PhD, MSW, is an assistant professor in the College of Social Work at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and a Faculty Fellow in the Disaster and Community Crisis Center at the University of Missouri. Her research focuses on human experiences with disaster events and the consequences of collective trauma.

Haejung Shin

Haejung Shin, MS, is a doctoral student in the Department of Communication at the University of Missouri. Her research focuses on understanding of media effects on individuals’ communication and information processing in the context of disaster, risk, and crisis.

Yerina S. Ranjit

Yerina S. Ranjit, PhD, is assistant professor of health communication at the University of Missouri’s Department of Communication. Her research involves behavior change communication in the context of health, especially among the underserved population.

J. Brian Houston

J. Brian Houston, PhD, is associate professor and chair in the Department of Communication and is director for the Disaster and Community Crisis Center (dcc.missouri.edu) at the University of Missouri. He is core faculty in the University of Missouri Master of Public Health Program. Houston's research focuses on communication in all phases of disasters and on the mental health effects and political consequences of community crises.