Loneliness and psychological distress before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: Relationships with social media identity bubbles.

ABSTRACT: Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on well-being and mental health are a concern worldwide. This article is based on two longitudinal studies that investigated the role of social media use in loneliness and psychological distress before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study 1 utilized nationally representative 3-point longitudinal data (n = 735) collected in 2017-2020 on the Finnish population. Study 2 utilized 5-point longitudinal data (n = 840) collected in 2019-2021 representing the Finnish working population. We analyzed the data using multilevel mixed-effects regression analysis. A longitudinal analysis of Study 1 showed that perceived loneliness did not increase among the Finnish population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stronger involvement in social media identity bubbles predicted

SUBMITTER: Latikka R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8688936 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature