Role of social media in the exposure of stress, anxiety and psychological well-being in the phase of COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the health, safety, and daily lives of all individuals. Further, the media has led to widespread and diverse information. Such details have created both hope and falsehood regarding the pandemic in our immediate environment. The current study aims to assess the role of social media in the exposure of stress, anxiety and psychological well-being in the phase of COVID-19 pandemic. A sample of 220 participants was selected using purposive sampling technique and the data was compared between two age groups: youth (110) and middle-aged adults (110). The data was collected using the perceived stress scale by Sheldon Cohen, Hamilton Anxiety rating scale by Max Hamilton and subjective psychological well-being scale by WHO. Findings indicated the spread of false information had decreased the psychological well-being of both the groups by two-folds and increased anxiety and stress in the same pattern.