Citation

First JM, Shin H, Ranjit YS, Houston JB. J. Loss Trauma 2021; 26(2): 101-115.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/15325024.2020.1835386

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Prior research has found that infectious disease outbreaks such as that of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are associated with adverse mental health, especially among individuals with more exposure to COVID-19. Less studied are the possible relationships of media use and interpersonal communication as they relate to COVID-19 exposure and mental health outcomes. In the current study, a structural equation model tested the direct and indirect relationships of a variety of proximity variables including COVID-19 exposure, media use (traditional and social), and interpersonal communication on stress and depression with a U.S. sample of 1,545 adults.

RESULTS found that COVID-19 exposure had a direct effect on stress and an indirect effect on stress and depression through media use (traditional and social) and interpersonal communication.

Language: en

Keywords

COVID-19; interpersonal communication; media; mental health