Cited by 108COVID-19 and Mental HealthImpact of Technology on AdolescentsCommunication and COVID-19 Impact

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The role of online social comparison as a protective factor for psychological wellbeing: A longitudinal study during the COVID-19 quarantine

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Ruggieri, Stefano, Ingoglia, Sonia, Bonfanti, Rubinia Celeste, Lo Coco, Gianluca·2021·Personality and Individual Differences

DOI 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110486PMC PMC7610095

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Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, the experience of quarantine has been an undesirable condition for people and it can have a negative impact on mental health and psychological wellbeing. Social isolation has led to an increase in time spent on social network sites, with people interacting more frequently with each other, and comparing online the way in which they are experiencing the same state of home confinement. Our study aimed to investigate the role of online social comparison on individuals' psychological distress and life satisfaction during the COVID-19-related quarantine. Specifically, a cross-lagged panel study at three-waves was conducted in Italy in order to examine the change in psychosocial distress levels (e.g. depression, anxiety, stress, loneliness, low life-satisfaction) from before the quarantine for a period of one month, as well as the predictive role of online social comparison to ameliorate individual distress. An online survey was distributed through a social media platform three times after the initial lockdown and at the epidemic's peak two and five weeks later. A total of 113 participants participated in an online survey between the 7th of March and 14th of April 2020. The results showed an increase in the levels of loneliness, depression, stress, anxiety and a decrease in the level of life satisfaction in the pre/post quarantine comparison. Our cross-lagged results also showed that online social comparison at T1 and T2 predicted the individual's improvement in levels of anxiety, stress, loneliness and life satisfaction over time. Overall, the results of the current study underline the positive effects of online social comparison on the reduction of psychological distress during the COVID-19 quarantine.

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“Similarly, Ruggieri et al. (2021) utilized social comparison theory (Festinger, 1954) to decipher the role of online social comparison on people’s mental stress and life satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
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“…a number of studies have found positive associations between upward social comparisons and well-being/mental health, presumably reflecting upward identification, e.g., Ruggieri et al. (2021), as well as the absence of an impact of downward comparisons on wellbeing, e.g., Feltman & Szymanski (2018).”
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“Festinger introduced the theory in 1954 to study the individuals' adaptation performed of social cognitive by comparing with others (Ruggieri et al., 2020).”
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“Paralelamente, este fenómeno puede relacionarse tanto con el aumento en la sensación de soledad y la búsqueda de apoyo social (Ruggieri et al., 2021) como con la sensación de aburrimiento reportada por el 58.2% de los adultos jóvenes participantes del presente estudio.”
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Authors: Ruggieri, S., Ingoglia, S., Bonfanti, R. C., & Lo Coco, G.
Affiliations: Università degli Studi di Enna Kore (IT)
University of Palermo (IT)
ORCID: Ruggieri, Stefano
Ingoglia, Sonia
Bonfanti, Rubinia Celeste
Lo Coco, Gianluca
Venue: Personality and Individual Differences
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Published: 2021-03
Volume: 171
Pages: 110486
ISSN: 0191-8869 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110486
PMC: PMC7610095
OpenAlex: W3094758130
Cited by: 107
References: 45
Citations by year: 2026: 7 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 27 · 2021: 27
FWCI: 7.71
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Licence: www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
www.elsevier.com/legal/tdmrep-license (tdm)
Locations: Personality and Individual Differences (publishedVersion)
PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Nova Science Publishers (Nova Science Publishers, Inc.) (submittedVersion)
Topics: Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › COVID-19 and Mental Health
Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
Social Sciences › Communication › Communication and COVID-19 Impact
Keywords: COVID-19 quarantine, psychological well-being, psychological distress, loneliness, depression, anxiety, stress, life satisfaction, social isolation, social network sites, protective factors, lockdown

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The role of online social comparison as a protective factor for psychological wellbeing: A longitudinal study during the COVID-19 quarantine

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