Identity Distress, Confusion, Synthesis, and Social Media Use for Coping: Implications for Identity Development

Abstract

ABSTRACT How do emerging adults undergoing identity distress during an adverse collective life event such as the COVID-19 pandemic use social media for coping? This study addressed this question by examining the associations of identity distress, confusion, and synthesis with social media use for coping with a national, multisite undergraduate sample of university students (N = 1257; M age = 20; 908 women) in the United States. Results indicated that emerging adult college students undergoing increased identity distress during the pandemic reported utilizing social media frequently for coping, such as socially connecting with others and alleviating negative emotions. Similarly, emerging adult college students experiencing increased identity uncertainty (marked by greater identity confusion and lower identity synthesis) during the pandemic reported using social media frequently for coping. Moreover, findings implied that emerging adult college students experiencing high identity distress severity, interference, and duration were almost two times more likely than their peers undergoing a lesser degree of distress to use social media to alleviate negative emotions. Implications for mental health practitioners working with emerging adults during an adverse collective life event are discussed.