Social Connectedness and Negative Emotion Modulation: Social Media Use for Coping Among College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Using a cross-sectional survey study with undergraduate students (N = 1257; M age = 20; 908 women) in the United States, this paper examined college students’ use of social media for coping and its association with COVID-19-related worries (loneliness, interpersonal stress, anxiety) and mental health outcomes (depression, generalized anxiety, and life satisfaction). Undergraduate students were found to use social media frequently during the pandemic to socially connect with others online and to modulate negative emotions. Structural equation modeling revealed that COVID-19-related worries were positively related to social media use for coping and that coping using social media was negatively related to general mental health concerns (depression, generalized anxiety) and positively associated with general mental health wellness (i.e., life satisfaction). Implications of using social media for coping during the pandemic for college student mental health are discussed.