Cited by 387Impact of Technology on AdolescentsTechnostress in Professional SettingsPersonal Information Management and User Behavior

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Digital Stress over the Life Span: The Effects of Communication Load and Internet Multitasking on Perceived Stress and Psychological Health Impairments in a German Probability Sample

Reinecke, Leonard, Aufenanger, Stefan, Beutel, Manfred E., Dreier, Michael, Quiring, Oliver, Stark, Birgit, Wölfling, Klaus, Müller, Kai W.·2017·Media Psychology

DOI 10.1080/15213269.2015.1121832

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Abstract

The present study investigated the psychological health effects and motivational origins of digital stress based on a representative survey of 1,557 German Internet users between 14 and 85 years of age. Communication load resulting from private e-mails and social media messages as well as Internet multitasking were positively related to perceived stress and had significant indirect effects on burnout, depression, and anxiety. Perceived social pressure and the fear of missing out on information and social interaction were key drivers of communication load and Internet multitasking. Age significantly moderated the health effects of digital stress as well as the motivational drivers of communication load and Internet multitasking. The results, thus, underline the need to address digital stress from a life span perspective.

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Edwards, K. S., & Shin, M. (2017) · Attention Perception & Psychophysics · doi:10.3758/s13414-017-1319-4 · Cited by 42
“Interestingly, there is also evidence that frequent media multitasking behaviour is associated with psychological distress, including depression (Becker et al., 2013; Reinecke et al., 2016).”
Background
MindPhone: Mindful Reflection at Unlock Can Reduce Absentminded Smartphone Use
Terzimehić, N., Haliburton, L., Greiner, P., Schmidt, A., Hußmann, H., & Mäkelä, V. (2022) · Designing Interactive Systems Conference · doi:10.1145/3532106.3533575 · Cited by 37
“Overload from technology has been shown to increase perceived stress and burnout, which lead to depression and anxiety [40].”
Background
Beyond the Buzz: Investigating the Effects of a Notification-Disabling Intervention on Smartphone Behavior and Digital Well-Being
Dekker, C. A., Baumgartner, S. E., Sumter, S. R., & Ohme, J. (2024) · Media Psychology · doi:10.1080/15213269.2024.2334025 · Cited by 55
“If the resulting phone session was unplanned (Bauer et al., 2017; Lukoff et al., 2018) or when using the smartphone implies suspending valuable offline activities (e.g., Reinecke et al., 2017), spending time on the smartphone may cause dissatisfaction afterward.”
We shall endure: Exploring the impact of government information quality and partisanship on citizens' well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic
Alamsyah, N., & Zhu, Y. (2021) · Government Information Quarterly · doi:10.1016/j.giq.2021.101646 · Cited by 38
Physiological stress in response to multitasking and work interruptions: Study protocol
Becker, L., Kaltenegger, H. C., Nowak, D., Weigl, M., & Rohleder, N. (2022) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0263785 · Cited by 47
Somatic Symptoms in the German General Population from 1975 to 2013
Beutel, M. E., Klein, E. M., Henning, M., Werner, A. M., Burghardt, J., Tibubos, A. N., Schmutzer, G., & Brähler, E. (2020) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-020-58602-6 · Cited by 35
Self-citation
Media Consumption, Stress and Wellbeing of Video Game and eSports Players in Germany: The eSports Study 2020
Rudolf, K., Soffner, M., Bickmann, P., Froböse, I., Tholl, C., Wechsler, K., & Grieben, C. (2022) · Frontiers in Sports and Active Living · doi:10.3389/fspor.2022.665604 · Cited by 40
“, 2019) and that so-called media multitasking has an influence on the perceived stress (Reinecke et al., 2017).”
Background
Mobile recovery? The impact of smartphone use on recovery experiences in waiting situations
Rieger, D., Hefner, D., & Vorderer, P. (2017) · Mobile Media & Communication · doi:10.1177/2050157917691556 · Cited by 34
Is life brighter when your phone is not? The efficacy of a grayscale smartphone intervention addressing digital well-being
Dekker, C. A., & Baumgartner, S. E. (2024) · Mobile Media & Communication · doi:10.1177/20501579231212062 · Cited by 33
“This is in line with expectations, as it has been previously shown that smartphone use (Reinecke et al., 2017; Vahedi & Saiphoo, 2018) and the salience dimension of online vigilance (Freytag et al., 2021; Gilbert et al., 2023) predict stress.”
Situational boundary conditions of digital stress: Goal conflict and autonomy frustration make smartphone use more stressful
Gilbert, A., Baumgartner, S. E., & Reinecke, L. (2023) · Mobile Media & Communication · doi:10.1177/20501579221138017 · Cited by 33
Self-citation
MobileDNA: Relating Physiological Stress Measurements to Smartphone Usage to Assess the Effect of a Digital Detox
Anrijs, S., Bombeke, K., Durnez, W., Damme, K. V., Vanhaelewyn, B., Conradie, P. D., Smets, E., Cornelis, J. P., Raedt, W. D., Ponnet, K. S., et al. (2018) · Communications in computer and information science · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-92279-9_48 · Cited by 33
High tension lines: Negative social exchange and psychological well-being in the context of instant messaging
Tsai, H.-Y. S., Hsu, P.-J., Chang, C.-L., Huang, C.-C., Ho, H.-F., & LaRose, R. (2018) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2018.12.034 · Cited by 32
How Adolescents Cope with Technostress: A Mixed-Methods Approach
Schmidt, M., Frank, L., & Gimpel, H. (2021) · International Journal of Electronic Commerce · doi:10.1080/10864415.2021.1887696 · Cited by 33
“Combining technostress research related to organizational [2, 14, 35, 51, 52] and private ICT use [28, 29, 30, 36, 40, 64], literature holds a rich list of technostress creators.”
Background
Unmasking the bright–dark duality of social media use on psychological well-being: a large-scale longitudinal study
Lin, Y., Fu, S., & Zhou, X. (2023) · Internet Research · doi:10.1108/intr-05-2022-0320 · Cited by 33
To use or be used? The role of agency in social media use and well-being
Lee, A. Y., Ellison, N. B., & Hancock, J. T. (2023) · Frontiers in Computer Science · doi:10.3389/fcomp.2023.1123323 · Cited by 34
“In contrast, watching the same video to procrastinate unpleasant tasks or to tune out anxious thoughts may undermine well-being by preventing people from necessary and beneficial tasks, such as managing their work lives and processing their emotions adaptively (Robinson and Knobloch-Westerwick, 2016; Reinecke et al.,…”
Background
COVID-19 Information Overload and Cyber Aggression during the Pandemic Lockdown: The Mediating Role of Depression/Anxiety and the Moderating Role of Confucian Responsibility Thinking
Wang, Q., Luo, X., Tu, R., Xiao, T., & Hu, W. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19031540 · Cited by 36
“[5,7,15], the present study aimed to investigate the relationship between the COVID-19 information overload and cyber aggression.”
Background
A survey on digital device engagement, digital stress, and coping strategies among college students in the Philippines
Giray, L., Nemeño, J., Braganaza, J., Lucero, S. M., & Bacarra, R. (2024) · International Journal of Adolescence and Youth · doi:10.1080/02673843.2024.2371413 · Cited by 57
“Reinecke et al. (2017) pinpointed that digital stress has been an outcome of an individual’s reaction to situational demands (e.g. emails, social media, text, rooms, and forums) in which it is constructed and relayed to subjectively challenge the receiver.”
An Investigation of the Relationship between University Students' Digital Burnout Levels and Perceived Stress Levels
Göldağ, B. (2021) · Journal of Learning and Teaching in Digital Age · doi:10.53850/joltida.958039 · Cited by 44
“When the conducted studies are examined; Reinecke et al. (2016) stated in their study that multiple transactions on the internet, sending, receiving and checking private e-mails and messages on social media increase the level of perceived stress of individuals.”
Background
Prospective associations of technostress at work, burnout symptoms, hair cortisol, and chronic low-grade inflammation
Kaltenegger, H. C., Marques, M. D., Becker, L., Rohleder, N., Nowak, D., Wright, B. J., & Weigl, M. (2024) · Brain Behavior and Immunity · doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2024.01.222 · Cited by 43
“In the light of the profound transformation of the world of work in the age of digitalization, new forms of work-related stress emerge, that is technostress (Brod, 1982) or digital stress (Hefner and Vorderer, 2016; Reinecke et al., 2017; Wein-stein and Selman, 2016).”
Using Media While Interacting Face-to-Face Is Associated With Psychosocial Well-Being and Personality Traits
Lee, M., Murphy, K., & Andrews, G. (2019) · Psychological Reports · doi:10.1177/0033294118770357 · Cited by 28
Toward a Theory of HealthIT Adoption Across the Lifespan: Findings from Five Years in the Community
Magsamen-Conrad, K., Dillon, J., Billotte-Verhoff, C., & Joa, C. Y. (2019) · Health Communication · doi:10.1080/10410236.2018.1563027 · Cited by 14
“…in contexts such as the development of provider and patient relationships (Sparks, 2003), the link between social support and physical health (Uchino, 2009), and the impact of digital overload on psychological health (Reinecke et al., 2016), scholarship was forwarded with real-life implications.”
Background
Digging Deeper into the Reasons for Self-Control Failure: Both Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations to Use Mobile Communication Shape Self-Control Processes
Halfmann, A. (2021) · Mass Communication & Society · doi:10.1080/15205436.2021.1968437 · Cited by 29
“To assess availability pressure, the four items from the Social Pressure Scale (Reinecke et al., 2017) were adapted.”
Method
Differences in stress system (re-)activity between single and dual- or multitasking in healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Becker, L., Kaltenegger, H. C., Nowak, D., Rohleder, N., & Weigl, M. (2022) · Health Psychology Review · doi:10.1080/17437199.2022.2071323 · Cited by 30
Connected at Sea: The Influence of the Internet and Online Communication on the Well-Being and Life Satisfaction of Cruise Ship Employees
Radić, A., Ariza‐Montes, A., Hernández‐Perlines, F., & Giorgi, G. (2020) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph17082840 · Cited by 34
Media multitasking, depression, and anxiety of college students: Serial mediating effects of attention control and negative information attentional bias
Li, S., & Fan, L. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.989201 · Cited by 27
“At the same time, there has been little research on how media multitasking affects anxiety and depression, most of which prioritized the mediating role of personality traits or environmental factors such as peer relationships and stress (15, 16).”
Background
The relation between media multitasking, intensity of use, and well-being in a sample of ethnically diverse emerging adults
Hatchel, T. J., Negriff, S. L., & Subrahmanyam, K. (2017) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2017.12.012 · Cited by 26
A Longitudinal In-the-Wild Investigation of Design Frictions to Prevent Smartphone Overuse
Haliburton, L., Grüning, D. J., Riedel, F., Schmidt, A., & Terzimehić, N. (2024) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3613904.3642370 · Cited by 29
Digital and Psychological Well-Being Among Technical University Students: Exploring the Impact of Digital Engagement in Higher Education
Neagu, S. N., & Vieriu, A. M. (2025) · Education Sciences · doi:10.3390/educsci15091192 · Cited by 45
Mental workload variations during different cognitive office tasks with social media interruptions
Doost, E. Z., & Zhang, W. (2022) · Ergonomics · doi:10.1080/00140139.2022.2104381 · Cited by 35
“…stress system-activity (Chrousos and Gold 1992; Chrousos 2009), and SM interruption is a potential digital stressor at work such as flooding text messages or emails (Gupta, Li, and Sharda 2013; Reinecke et al. 2017; Lindstrom 2020; Hefner and Vorderer 2016; Barley, Meyerson, and Grodal 2011).”
Background
Digital stress within early adolescents’ friendships – A focus group study from Belgium
Groote, D. D., & Ouytsel, J. V. (2022) · Telematics and Informatics · doi:10.1016/j.tele.2022.101877 · Cited by 26
A tale of two concepts: differential temporal predictions of habitual and compulsive social media use concerning connection overload and sleep quality
Koban, K., Stević, A., & Matthes, J. (2023) · Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication · doi:10.1093/jcmc/zmac040 · Cited by 29
Biological stress responses to multitasking and work interruptions: A randomized controlled trial
Becker, L., Kaltenegger, H. C., Nowak, D., Weigl, M., & Rohleder, N. (2023) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106358 · Cited by 27
“, due to flooding text messages or emails (Barley et al., 2011; Gupta et al., 2013; Hefner and Vorderer, 2016; Lindström, 2020; Reinecke et al., 2017).”
Background
Excessive smartphone use and addiction: When harms start outweighing benefits
Larsen, H., Wiers, R. W. H. J., Su, S., & Cousijn, J. (2022) · Addiction · doi:10.1111/add.16060 · Cited by 26
The digital transformation in the psychology of workplace spirituality
Walter, Y. (2023) · Digital Transformation and Society · doi:10.1108/dts-01-2023-0008 · Cited by 36
Algorithms in Digital Marketing: Does Smart Personalization Promote a Privacy Paradox?
Saura, J. R. (2024) · FIIB Business Review · doi:10.1177/23197145241276898 · Cited by 23
“This content could be unethical and, instead of offering positive rewards for users, results in negative outcomes such as stress, anxiety or fatigue from personalized digital marketing strategies (Reinecke et al., 2017).”
Daily stress and affect across adulthood: The role of social interactions via different communication modes.
Lin, X. Y., & Lachman, M. E. (2021) · Technology Mind and Behavior · doi:10.1037/tmb0000026 · Cited by 22
“Prior uses of data include the following published articles: Rickenbach et al. (2019), Robinson et al. (2016), Robinson and Lachman (2018) and Teshale and Lachman (2016).”
Method
The Chinese version of the Digital Stress Scale: Evaluation of psychometric properties
Xie, P., Mu, W., Li, Y., Li, X., & Wang, Y. (2022) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-022-03156-1 · Cited by 26

Authors: Reinecke, L., Aufenanger, S., Beutel, M. E., Dreier, M., Quiring, O., Stark, B., Wölfling, K., & Müller, K. W.
Affiliations: Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (DE)
Corresponding author: Reinecke, Leonard
ORCID: Reinecke, Leonard
Aufenanger, Stefan
Beutel, Manfred E.
Dreier, Michael
Quiring, Oliver
Stark, Birgit
Wölfling, Klaus
Müller, Kai W.
Venue: Media Psychology
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Published: 2016-03
Volume: 20
Issue: 1
Pages: 90-115
ISSN: 1521-3269 (ISSN-L)
1532-785X
DOI: 10.1080/15213269.2015.1121832
OpenAlex: W2302492465
Cited by: 387
References: 71
Citations by year: 2026: 52 · 2025: 54 · 2024: 47 · 2023: 43 · 2022: 41 · 2021: 51 · 2020: 45 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 3
FWCI: 51.46
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: Media Psychology (publishedVersion)
Funders: Forschungsschwerpunkt Medienkonvergenz [Research Center for Media Convergence] at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (not available)
Topics: Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Technostress in Professional Settings
Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Information Systems and Management › Personal Information Management and User Behavior
Keywords: digital stress, communication load, perceived stress, burnout, depression, anxiety, social pressure, fear of missing out, social media, email, age differences, lifespan development, mental health

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Digital Stress over the Life Span: The Effects of Communication Load and Internet Multitasking on Perceived Stress and Psychological Health Impairments in a German Probability Sample

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