Exposure to COVID-19 News and Its Relation to Stress, Depression, and Anxiety in the Context of Difficulty in Accessing Social Support

Background Past literature showed an increase in the tendency to seek out news media information when social connections are strained. In general, news exposure has been linked to a mix of both positive and negative outcomes, such as heightened protective behaviors, feelings of reassurance, lower un...

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Main Authors: Villasanta, Angelique Pearl Virtue P, Acosta, Avegale C, Tabo-Corpuz, Chantal Ellis S, Manaois, Jason O
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Published: Archīum Ateneo 2022
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Online Access:https://archium.ateneo.edu/psychology-faculty-pubs/369
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09638237.2022.2069706
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Institution: Ateneo De Manila University
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spelling ph-ateneo-arc.psychology-faculty-pubs-13692022-06-20T09:01:42Z Exposure to COVID-19 News and Its Relation to Stress, Depression, and Anxiety in the Context of Difficulty in Accessing Social Support Villasanta, Angelique Pearl Virtue P Acosta, Avegale C Tabo-Corpuz, Chantal Ellis S Manaois, Jason O Background Past literature showed an increase in the tendency to seek out news media information when social connections are strained. In general, news exposure has been linked to a mix of both positive and negative outcomes, such as heightened protective behaviors, feelings of reassurance, lower uncertainty, and an increase in stress and anxiety. However, its impact on individuals living in communities under lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic has yet to be explored. Aims This study contributes to the existing literature by exploring the effects of COVID-19-related news exposure on mental health outcomes (such as depression and anxiety) for people living in areas that are under community lockdown. Methods Using purposive sampling, 435 Filipinos under community quarantine were surveyed. The structural model of the relations between exposure to COVID-19-related news, difficulty accessing social support, stress, depression, and anxiety was tested via ML estimation with Robust specification using EQS 6.3 software. Social support access was hypothesized to have a moderating role in the impact of COVID-19 news exposure on stress. Results The results showed an adequately fit model. Results show that higher exposure to news related to COVID-19 led to lower levels of stress, especially for those who were having more difficulty accessing social support. In turn, lesser stress was shown to lead to lesser symptoms of anxiety and depression. Conclusions This research illustrates the modest, positive impact news exposure has on mental health outcomes, particularly for individuals who may have difficulty accessing social support due to lockdown measures. In situations where social connectedness and access to social support becomes strained, accessing news can be one way to reduce distress among individuals in lockdown and quarantine. 2022-05-18T07:00:00Z text https://archium.ateneo.edu/psychology-faculty-pubs/369 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09638237.2022.2069706 Psychology Department Faculty Publications Archīum Ateneo COVID-19 mental health news exposure social support Mental and Social Health Psychology Public Health
institution Ateneo De Manila University
building Ateneo De Manila University Library
continent Asia
country Philippines
Philippines
content_provider Ateneo De Manila University Library
collection archium.Ateneo Institutional Repository
topic COVID-19
mental health
news exposure
social support
Mental and Social Health
Psychology
Public Health
spellingShingle COVID-19
mental health
news exposure
social support
Mental and Social Health
Psychology
Public Health
Villasanta, Angelique Pearl Virtue P
Acosta, Avegale C
Tabo-Corpuz, Chantal Ellis S
Manaois, Jason O
Exposure to COVID-19 News and Its Relation to Stress, Depression, and Anxiety in the Context of Difficulty in Accessing Social Support
description Background Past literature showed an increase in the tendency to seek out news media information when social connections are strained. In general, news exposure has been linked to a mix of both positive and negative outcomes, such as heightened protective behaviors, feelings of reassurance, lower uncertainty, and an increase in stress and anxiety. However, its impact on individuals living in communities under lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic has yet to be explored. Aims This study contributes to the existing literature by exploring the effects of COVID-19-related news exposure on mental health outcomes (such as depression and anxiety) for people living in areas that are under community lockdown. Methods Using purposive sampling, 435 Filipinos under community quarantine were surveyed. The structural model of the relations between exposure to COVID-19-related news, difficulty accessing social support, stress, depression, and anxiety was tested via ML estimation with Robust specification using EQS 6.3 software. Social support access was hypothesized to have a moderating role in the impact of COVID-19 news exposure on stress. Results The results showed an adequately fit model. Results show that higher exposure to news related to COVID-19 led to lower levels of stress, especially for those who were having more difficulty accessing social support. In turn, lesser stress was shown to lead to lesser symptoms of anxiety and depression. Conclusions This research illustrates the modest, positive impact news exposure has on mental health outcomes, particularly for individuals who may have difficulty accessing social support due to lockdown measures. In situations where social connectedness and access to social support becomes strained, accessing news can be one way to reduce distress among individuals in lockdown and quarantine.
format text
author Villasanta, Angelique Pearl Virtue P
Acosta, Avegale C
Tabo-Corpuz, Chantal Ellis S
Manaois, Jason O
author_facet Villasanta, Angelique Pearl Virtue P
Acosta, Avegale C
Tabo-Corpuz, Chantal Ellis S
Manaois, Jason O
author_sort Villasanta, Angelique Pearl Virtue P
title Exposure to COVID-19 News and Its Relation to Stress, Depression, and Anxiety in the Context of Difficulty in Accessing Social Support
title_short Exposure to COVID-19 News and Its Relation to Stress, Depression, and Anxiety in the Context of Difficulty in Accessing Social Support
title_full Exposure to COVID-19 News and Its Relation to Stress, Depression, and Anxiety in the Context of Difficulty in Accessing Social Support
title_fullStr Exposure to COVID-19 News and Its Relation to Stress, Depression, and Anxiety in the Context of Difficulty in Accessing Social Support
title_full_unstemmed Exposure to COVID-19 News and Its Relation to Stress, Depression, and Anxiety in the Context of Difficulty in Accessing Social Support
title_sort exposure to covid-19 news and its relation to stress, depression, and anxiety in the context of difficulty in accessing social support
publisher Archīum Ateneo
publishDate 2022
url https://archium.ateneo.edu/psychology-faculty-pubs/369
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09638237.2022.2069706
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