Abstract
BackgroundCOVID-19 has spread like wildfire across the globe, prompting many governments to impose unprecedented stay-at-home orders to limit its transmission. During an extended stay-at-home period, individuals may engage in more online leisure activities. Internet use is a double-edged sword that may have both desirable and undesirable effects on psychological well-being, and this study sought to disentangle adaptive from maladaptive internet use amidst this unusual health crisis.ObjectiveThe objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence of probable depression during the COVID-19 stay-at-home period and to test three hypothesized risk reduction or risk elevation mechanisms, namely social capital–accrual, escape-from-self, and time-displacement effects.MethodsThis study took place from March to May 2020 at the early stage of the pandemic. The study adopted a prospective design, with an online survey administered to 573 UK and 474 US adult residents at two assessment points 2 months apart.ResultsThe prevalence of moderate to severe depression was 36% (bootstrap bias-corrected and accelerated [BCa] 95% CI 33%-39%) at Time 1 (ie, initial time point) and 27% (bootstrap BCa 95% CI 25%-30%) at Time 2 (ie, follow-up time point). The results supported the social capital–accrual hypothesis by showing that the approach coping style was inversely associated with Time 2 depression through its positive associations with both social networking and perceived family support. The results also supported the escape-from-self hypothesis by revealing that the avoidant coping style was positively associated with Time 2 depression through its positive associations with both gaming and cyberbullying victimization, but the serial mediation model was no longer significant after Time 1 depression and some demographic risk factors had been controlled for. Finally, the results supported the time-displacement hypothesis by showing that gaming was positively associated with Time 2 depression through its inverse associations with social networking and perceived family support.ConclusionsDuring the extended stay-at-home period in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of probable depression during the 2-month study period was high among the UK and US residents. Individuals with distinct coping styles may engage in different types of online leisure activities and perceive varying levels of social support, which are associated with risks of probable depression.
Highlights
ContextCOVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a novel strain of coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2, which is deadly and highly transmissible [1,2]
During the extended stay-at-home period in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of probable depression during the 2-month study period was high among the UK and US residents
Consistent with the social capital–accrual hypothesis, the findings show that individuals who report higher levels of approach coping tend to spend more leisure time on social networking and perceive a higher level of family support, which is related to lower subsequent levels of depression during the extended stay-at-home period
Summary
Background ContextCOVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a novel strain of coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2, which is deadly and highly transmissible [1,2]. The majority of US states imposed similar stay-at-home orders. The residents of both countries were urged to avoid social gatherings and to stay at home, they were allowed to go out for essential errands, such as buying groceries and attending medical appointments [4]. Systematic and meta-analytic reviews showed that probable depression was prevalent (overall effect size of 34%, 95% CI 28%-41%) across the globe during the early stage of the pandemic [6,7] and that such alarming rates were 3-fold higher than the lifetime prevalence of depression from 1994 to 2014 (11%) [8]. COVID-19 has spread like wildfire across the globe, prompting many governments to impose unprecedented stay-at-home orders to limit its transmission. Internet use is a double-edged sword that may have both desirable and undesirable effects on psychological well-being, and this study sought to disentangle adaptive from maladaptive internet use amidst this unusual health crisis
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