TY - JOUR
T1 - Associations Between Media Exposure and Mental Distress Among U.S. Adults at the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic
AU - Riehm, Kira E.
AU - Holingue, Calliope
AU - Kalb, Luther G.
AU - Bennett, Daniel
AU - Kapteyn, Arie
AU - Jiang, Qin
AU - Veldhuis, Cindy B.
AU - Johnson, Renee M.
AU - Fallin, M. Daniele
AU - Kreuter, Frauke
AU - Stuart, Elizabeth A.
AU - Thrul, Johannes
N1 - Funding Information:
The Understanding America Study is funded from several sources, including the Social Security Administration and the National Institute on Aging (5U01AG054580). The survey that collected the mental health and COVID-19–related data used in this paper was funded by the Center for Economic and Social Research at the University of Southern California. Work on this manuscript was in part supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (U54 HD079123). This work was also supported by a Rapid Response Research grant from the National Science Foundation (2028683). Dr. Veldhuis’ participation in this research was made possible through an NIH/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Ruth Kirschstein Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (F32AA025816). Ms. Riehm was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health Mental Health Services and Systems Training Program (5T32MH109436-03) and by a Doctoral Foreign Study Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 American Journal of Preventive Medicine
PY - 2020/11
Y1 - 2020/11
N2 - Introduction: Exposure to disaster-related media may be a risk factor for mental distress, but this has not been examined in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study assesses whether exposure to social and traditional media during the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with mental distress among U.S. adults. Methods: Data came from the Understanding America Study, conducted with a cross-sectional, nationally representative sample of adults who completed surveys online. Participants included 6,329 adults surveyed between March 10 and March 31, 2020. Regression analyses examined the associations of (1) self-reported average time spent on social media in a day (hours) and (2) number of traditional media sources (radio, TV, and newspaper) consulted to learn about COVID-19 with self-reported mental distress (4-item Patient Health Questionnaire). Data were analyzed in April 2020. Results: Participants responding at later survey dates reported more time spent on social media (β=0.02, 95% CI=0.01, 0.03), a greater number of traditional media sources consulted to learn about COVID-19 (β=0.01, 95% CI=0.01, 0.02), and greater mental distress (β=0.07, 95% CI=0.04, 0.09). Increased time spent on social media and consulting a greater number of traditional media sources to learn about COVID-19 were independently associated with increased mental distress, even after adjusting for potential confounders (social media: β=0.14, 95% CI=0.05, 0.23; traditional media: β=0.14, 95% CI=0.08, 0.20). Conclusions: Exposure to a greater number of traditional media sources and more hours on social media was modestly associated with mental distress during the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S.
AB - Introduction: Exposure to disaster-related media may be a risk factor for mental distress, but this has not been examined in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study assesses whether exposure to social and traditional media during the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with mental distress among U.S. adults. Methods: Data came from the Understanding America Study, conducted with a cross-sectional, nationally representative sample of adults who completed surveys online. Participants included 6,329 adults surveyed between March 10 and March 31, 2020. Regression analyses examined the associations of (1) self-reported average time spent on social media in a day (hours) and (2) number of traditional media sources (radio, TV, and newspaper) consulted to learn about COVID-19 with self-reported mental distress (4-item Patient Health Questionnaire). Data were analyzed in April 2020. Results: Participants responding at later survey dates reported more time spent on social media (β=0.02, 95% CI=0.01, 0.03), a greater number of traditional media sources consulted to learn about COVID-19 (β=0.01, 95% CI=0.01, 0.02), and greater mental distress (β=0.07, 95% CI=0.04, 0.09). Increased time spent on social media and consulting a greater number of traditional media sources to learn about COVID-19 were independently associated with increased mental distress, even after adjusting for potential confounders (social media: β=0.14, 95% CI=0.05, 0.23; traditional media: β=0.14, 95% CI=0.08, 0.20). Conclusions: Exposure to a greater number of traditional media sources and more hours on social media was modestly associated with mental distress during the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.amepre.2020.06.008
DO - 10.1016/j.amepre.2020.06.008
M3 - Article
C2 - 33011008
AN - SCOPUS:85089175276
SN - 0749-3797
VL - 59
SP - 630
EP - 638
JO - American Journal of Preventive Medicine
JF - American Journal of Preventive Medicine
IS - 5
ER -
