Coronavirus anxiety and psychological adjustment in college students: exploring the role of college belongingness and social media addiction
Open accessAbstract
The psychological health of people all around the world is severely affected due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This study examined a moderated mediation model in which college belongingness mediated the relationship between coronavirus anxiety and psychological adjustment, and this mediation effect was moderated by social media addiction. A total of 315 undergraduate students (M = 21.65±3.68 years and 67% females) participated in this study. The results demonstrated that college belongingness partially mediated the association between coronavirus anxiety and psychological adjustment. The mediating part from coronavirus anxiety to college belongingness was moderated by social media addiction. In comparison with the high level of social media addiction, coronavirus anxiety had a stronger predictive effect on college belongingness under the low and moderate levels of social media addiction condition. Our findings highlight that college belongingness is a potential mechanism explaining how coronavirus anxiety is related to psychological adjustment and that this relation may depend on the levels of social media addiction.
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Across the studies included in this review, prevalence rates of media addiction ranged from about 20 to 70%.
“Across the studies included in this review, prevalence rates of media addiction ranged from about 20 to 70% (44, 48, 52, 63, 65).”
From Digital Media Use and Adolescents' Mental Health During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2022) · cites this paper as [44]
Students with higher levels of college belongingness reported better psychological adjustment.
“Media addiction also deteriorated psychological adjustment via college belongingness: Students with higher levels of college belongingness reported better psychological adjustment. However, when social media addiction was high, it likely interfered with the sense of belonging to the school (44).”
From Digital Media Use and Adolescents' Mental Health During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2022) · cites this paper as [44]
When social media addiction was high, it likely interfered with the sense of belonging to the school.
“Media addiction also deteriorated psychological adjustment via college belongingness: Students with higher levels of college belongingness reported better psychological adjustment. However, when social media addiction was high, it likely interfered with the sense of belonging to the school (44).”
From Digital Media Use and Adolescents' Mental Health During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2022) · cites this paper as [44]
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- Authors
- Arslan, G., Yıldırım, M., & Zangeneh, M.
- Affiliations
- Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy Üniversitesi (TR)
- University of Leicester (GB)
- Humber Polytechnic (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Arslan, Gökmen
- Venue
- International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
- Published
- 2021-01-21
- Volume
- 20
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 1546-1559
- ISSN
- 1557-1874 (ISSN-L)
- 1557-1882
- PMC
- PMC7819624
- OpenAlex
- W3124513509
- Cited by
- 116
- References
- 76
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 20 · 2023: 28 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 21
- FWCI
- 16.54
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University Institutional Repository (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Student Stress and Coping
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Keywords
- COVID-19 anxiety, social media addiction, psychological adjustment, university students, moderated mediation, mental health
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