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. 2020 Dec 16:11:557987.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.557987. eCollection 2020.

Relationship Between Problematic Social Media Usage and Employee Depression: A Moderated Mediation Model of Mindfulness and Fear of COVID-19

Mehwish Majeed  1 , Muhammad Irshad  2 , Tasneem Fatima  1 , Jabran Khan  3 , Muhammad Mubbashar Hassan  4
Affiliations

Relationship Between Problematic Social Media Usage and Employee Depression: A Moderated Mediation Model of Mindfulness and Fear of COVID-19

Mehwish Majeed et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Social media plays a significant role in modern life, but excessive use of it during the COVID-19 pandemic has become a source of concern. Supported by the conservation of resources theory, the current study extends the literature on problematic social media usage during COVID-19 by investigating its association with emotional and mental health outcomes. In a moderated mediation model, this study proposes that problematic social media use by workers during COVID-19 is linked to fear of COVID-19, which is further associated with depression. The current study tested trait mindfulness as an important personal resource that may be associated with reduced fear of COVID-19 despite problematic social media use. The study collected temporally separate data to avoid common method bias. Pakistani employees (N = 267) working in different organizations completed a series of survey questionnaires. The results supported the moderated mediation model, showing that problematic social media use during the current pandemic is linked to fear of COVID-19 and depression among employees. Furthermore, trait mindfulness was found to be an important buffer, reducing the negative indirect association between problematic social media use and depression through fear of COVID-19. These results offer implications for practitioners. The limitations of this study and future research directions are also discussed.

Keywords: COVID-19; depression; fear; mindfulness; pandemic (COVID-19); social media.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Proposed hypothesized model.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Employee mindfulness as a moderator in the relationship between problematic social media use and fear of COVID-19.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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