Mental Health
Online Behaviours during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Associations with Psychological Factors: An International Exploratory Study.
Open Access: No.
Abstract
This cross-sectional study aimed to explore specific online behaviours and their association with a range of underlying psychological and other behavioural factors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eight countries (Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Lithuania, Portugal, Japan, Hungary, and Brazil) participated in an international investigation involving 2223 participants (M = 33 years old; SD = 11), 70% of whom were females. Participants were surveyed for specific type of Internet use severity, appearance anxiety, self-compassion, and image and use of performance-enhancing drugs (IPEDs). Results were compared cross-culturally. The mean time spent online was 5 h (SD = ±3) of daily browsing during the pandemic. The most commonly performed activities included social networking, streaming, and general surfing. A strong association between these online behaviours and appearance anxiety, self-compassion, and IPEDs use was found after adjustment for possible confounders, with higher scores being associated with specific online activities. Significant cross-cultural differences also emerged in terms of the amount of time spent online during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Relevance
The use of online pornography during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with higher levels of appearance anxiety, the use of IPEDs [image and performance enhancing drugs], self-reported addictions (including smoking), and longer duration of internet use.
Citation
Burkauskas, J., Fineberg, N. A., Ioannidis, K., Chamberlain, S. R., Bowden-Jones, H., Griskova-Bulanova, I., Pranckeviciene, A., Dores, A. R., Carvalho, I. P., Barbosa, F., Simonato, P., De Luca, I., Mooney, R., Gómez-Martínez, M. Á., Demetrovics, Z., Ábel, K. E., Szabo, A., Fujiwara, H., Shibata, M., Melero-Ventola, A. R., … Corazza, O. (2022). Online Behaviours during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Associations with Psychological Factors: An International Exploratory Study. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(14), 8823. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19148823
