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. 2020 Nov;59(5):630-638.
doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2020.06.008. Epub 2020 Jul 10.

Associations Between Media Exposure and Mental Distress Among U.S. Adults at the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Kira E Riehm  1 , Calliope Holingue  2 , Luther G Kalb  2 , Daniel Bennett  3 , Arie Kapteyn  3 , Qin Jiang  3 , Cindy B Veldhuis  4 , Renee M Johnson  5 , M Daniele Fallin  5 , Frauke Kreuter  6 , Elizabeth A Stuart  5 , Johannes Thrul  5
Affiliations

Associations Between Media Exposure and Mental Distress Among U.S. Adults at the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Kira E Riehm et al. Am J Prev Med. 2020 Nov.

Abstract

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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Conflict of interest statement

All authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose. The project described in this paper relies on data from survey(s) administered by the Understanding America Study, which is maintained by the Center for Economic and Social Research (CESR) at the University of Southern California. The content of this paper is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the University of Southern California or UAS. For any questions or more information about the UAS, contact Tania Gutsche, Project and Panel Manager, Center for Economic and Social Research, University of Southern California, at tgutsche@usc.edu.

No financial disclosures were reported by the authors of this paper.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Linear predictions and 95% CIs for time spent on social media in a day (Panel A), number of traditional media sources consulted to learn about COVID-19 (Panel B), and mental distress measured by the PHQ-4 (Panel C), by date of survey completion, among U.S. adults in the UAS230 Panel, 2020 (n=6,329). PHQ, Patient Health Questionnaire; UAS230, Understanding America Study.
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