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. 2022 Sep 2:1-14.
doi: 10.1007/s10389-022-01751-x. Online ahead of print.

Experimental longitudinal evidence for causal role of social media use and physical activity in COVID-19 burden and mental health

Julia Brailovskaia  1 , Verena J Swarlik  1 , Georg A Grethe  1 , Holger Schillack  1 , Jürgen Margraf  1
Affiliations

Experimental longitudinal evidence for causal role of social media use and physical activity in COVID-19 burden and mental health

Julia Brailovskaia et al. Z Gesundh Wiss. .

Abstract

Aim: The COVID-19 outbreak has severely impacted people's mental health. The present experimental study investigated how to reduce this negative effect by a combination of two interventions.

Subject and methods: Participants (N total = 642) were users of social media in Germany. For two weeks, the social media group (N = 162) reduced its social media use (SMU) by 30 minutes daily, the physical activity group (N = 161) increased its physical activity by 30 minutes daily, the combination group (N = 159) followed both instructions, and the control group (N = 160) did not get specific instructions. Online surveys assessed variables of SMU, physical activity, mental health, COVID-19 burden, and lifestyle at six measurement time points up to six months after the intervention.

Results: In the experimental groups, (addictive) SMU, depression symptoms, and COVID-19 burden decreased, while physical activity, life satisfaction, and subjective happiness increased. All effects were stronger and more stable in the combination group in the longer-term. Smoking behavior decreased in the social media group only.

Conclusion: Thus, the conscious combination of less SMU and more physical activity leads causally to more psychological resilience against negative pandemic impacts and to higher levels of mental health over six months. Prevention programs could improve their effectiveness by integrating the time- and cost-efficient interventions - separately or in combination.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10389-022-01751-x.

Keywords: COVID-19 burden; Experimental longitudinal study; Lifestyle; Mental health; Physical activity increase; Social media use reduction.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest/competing interestsThe authors state that there are no conflicts of interest or competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Results of repeated measure analyses of variance (ANOVAs) for time and intensity of social media use and of physical activity: (A) daily social media use time (in minutes), (B) intensity of social media use, (C) weekly physical activity (in minutes), (D) intensity of physical activity (Social media group: N = 162, Physical activity group: N = 161, Combination group: N = 159, Control group: N = 160; BL to 6 Mths (Months) = measurement time points)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Results of repeated measure analyses of variance (ANOVAs) for variables of mental health and lifestyle: (A) life satisfaction, (B) subjective happiness, (C) depression symptoms, (D) addictive social media use, (E) COVID-19 burden, (F) smoking behavior (Social media group: N = 162, Physical activity group: N = 161, Combination group: N = 159, Control group: N = 160; exception: smoking behavior: Social media group: n = 28, Physical activity group: n = 24, Combination group: n = 25, Control group: n = 20; BL to 6 Mths (Months) = measurement time points)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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