How does COVID-19-related social media usage influence disordered eating? A daily diary study among Chinese adults during lockdown

Abstract

Background

Despite previous studies highlighting the benefits of social media use during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly under lockdown, limited research has identified the potential detrimental consequences of social media use during lockdown. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the effects of social media on mental health in particular situations and the mechanisms underlying these effects.

Methods

A daily diary protocol was adopted. A total of 96 adults ( M _age  = 25.90 ± 8.32 years) were recruited from Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China. COVID-19-related social media use, psychological distress, COVID-19-related stress and anxiety, and disordered eating were measured each day for a week. Multilevel path analyses for the nested data were conducted.

Results

Daily COVID-19-related social media use was positively related to daily disordered eating ( r = .13 p < .001). Furthermore, the multilevel path analysis showed that psychological distress and COVID-19-related stress and anxiety mediated the relationship between COVID-19-related social media use and disordered eating at the within-person level. However, only COVID-19-related-anxiety mediated the relationship at the between-person level.

Conclusions

Our findings contribute to the understanding of social media’s impact during lockdown and provide implications for social media users, social media platform providers, mental health professionals, and governments regarding the correct and sustainable use of social media during the COVID-19 pandemic and in future public health emergencies.

Abstract

Our study examined how using social media during the COVID-19 lockdown might be related to individuals’ mental health, particularly stress, anxiety, and disordered eating. Using a daily diary design, we found that individuals with more frequent social media use to get information about COVID-19 exhibited higher stress and anxiety related to the pandemic, higher general psychological distress, as well as higher disordered eating. Multilevel mediation analyses further showed that COVID-19-related anxiety played a mediating role in the connection between COVID-19-related social media use and disordered eating, at the within-person level. These findings underscore the complex impacts of social media use during lockdowns and highlight the importance of managing social media consumption to protect mental health and well-being in such challenging times.