Do Adolescent and Caregiver Media use Moderate the Association Between COVID-19 Fears and Adolescent Anxiety?

• In Event: Social media and adolescent relationships: The good, the bad, and the complicated

Abstract

In addition to mental health consequences linked with social, financial, and health-related disruptions caused by COVID-19, repeated exposure to media coverage of a high-stress event may also impact psychological wellbeing (Garfin, 2020). Greater exposure to trauma-related media coverage (e.g., terrorist attacks) has been linked with elevated threat perceptions among youth (Comer et al., 2010), and increased post-traumatic stress symptoms (Comer et al., 2010). As social distancing families seek information, media sources continue to rapidly disseminate new and evolving information (Garfin, 2020). Extant COVID-19 focused research suggests that more media consumption is associated with greater adult distress (Riehm et al., 2020). However, little is known about how COVID-19 media exposure impacts adolescents. This study examined whether varying levels of media use among adolescents and caregivers differentially moderated the impact of virus fears on adolescent anxiety symptoms. Participants consisted of 116 adolescent-caregiver dyads enrolled in a larger NIH-funded study. Adolescents (Mage = 16.13 years, SD = 0.83; 52.6% female) and their caregivers (Mage = 46.34 years, SD = 6.04; 88.8% female) were predominately White (83.6%) and Hispanic/LatinX (81.9% [adolescent], 81.0% [caregiver]). Adolescents completed the Impact Subscale of the Fear of Illness and Virus Evaluation Scale (Ehrenreich-May, 2020) reflecting the extent to which COVID-19 fears have influenced their quality of life, and the Anxiety Subscale of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995). Each dyad reported on the number of media platforms used and hours spent per day viewing COVID-19-related news. Two moderation models were estimated while controlling for demographic characteristics, media use endorsed by the other reporter, and prior adolescent internalizing symptoms. When considering anxiety levels, there was a significant interaction (adolescent-report media use x COVID-19 fears; p<0.001). The simple slope of COVID-19 fears was statistically significant at both mean (effect = 0.46, p < 0.01) and high (effect = 1.09, p<0.001) levels of media use, but not low levels of media use (Figure 1). This suggests that moderate to high levels of media use may exacerbate anxiety among adolescents highly impacted by COVID-19 fears. The second interaction (caregiver-report media consumption x adolescent COVID-fears) was marginally significant (p = 0.058). The simple slope of COVID-19 fears was statistically significant at low (effect = 0.46, p < 0.05), mean (effect = 0.59, p < 0.01), and high (effect = 1.01, p < 0.001) levels of caregiver media use (Figure 2). Adolescents with the greatest anxiety levels were those highly impacted by COVID-19 fears and whose caregivers reported high levels of media use. Yet, among adolescents highly impacted by COVID-19 fears, those with low caregiver media use also experienced elevated anxiety symptoms. In this period of elevated stress and uncertainty for many families, high levels of pandemic-related media use among adolescents, and their caregivers, may be a risk factor for adolescent anxiety. Family education regarding appropriate levels of media exposure during COVID-19 and how to have meaningful conversations with youth about the pandemic may be useful strategies to help mitigate adverse mental health outcomes among youth.

Authors

• Julie V Cristello, Florida International University
  Presenting Author

• Nilofar Fallah-Sohy, Florida International University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Matthew T Sutherland, Florida International University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jonathan S. Comer, Florida International University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Elisa Trucco, Florida International University
  Non-Presenting Author