2
|
Sampogna G, Di Vincenzo M, Luciano M, Della Rocca B, Albert U, Carmassi C, Carrà G, Cirulli F, Dell’Osso B, Nanni MG, Pompili M, Sani G, Tortorella A, Volpe U, Fiorillo A. The effect of social media and infodemic on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: results from the COMET multicentric trial. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1226414. [PMID: 37575576 PMCID: PMC10412935 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1226414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the status of pandemic due to the COVID-19 infection. The initial phases of the pandemic were characterized by uncertainty and public fears. In order to cope with such unexpected conditions, people adopted different coping strategies, including search for information, accessing Internet, and using social media. The present study based on the COMET collaborative research network aims to: (1) assess use of Internet and of social media among the Italian general population; (2) explore differences in web usage between people with pre-existing mental disorders and the general population; (3) identify changes over time in social media usage along the phase 1 of the pandemic; (4) identify the clinical, socio-demographic and contextual predictors of excessive use of social media. A significant increase in time spent on Internet, with an average time of 4.8 ± 0.02 h per day, was found in the global sample of 20,720 participants. Compared with the general population, Internet use was significantly higher in people with pre-existing mental disorders (5.2 ± 0.1 h vs. 4.9 ± 0.02; p < 0.005). According to the multivariate logistic regression model, the risk of excessive use of social media and Internet was significantly higher in people with moderate levels of depressive symptoms (OR: 1.26, CI 95%: 0.99 to 1.59, p < 0.0.005); while protective factors were being students (OR: 0.72, CI 95%: 0.53 to 0.96, p < 0.0029) and living in central Italy (OR: 0.46, CI 95%: 0.23 to 0.90, p < 0.002). The evaluation of social media and Internet use by the general population represents a first step for developing specific protective and supportive interventions for the general population, including practical suggestions on how to safely use Internet and social media.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gaia Sampogna
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
| | - Matteo Di Vincenzo
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
| | - Mario Luciano
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
| | - Bianca Della Rocca
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
| | - Umberto Albert
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
- Department of Mental Health, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Giuliano Isontina—ASUGI, Trieste, Italy
| | - Claudia Carmassi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Carrà
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milan Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesca Cirulli
- Center for Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health, National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy
| | - Bernardo Dell’Osso
- Neuroscience Research Center, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences and Aldo Ravelli Center for Neurotechnology and Brain Therapeutic, University of Milan, Milano, Italy
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Maria Giulia Nanni
- Department of Neurosciences and Rehabilitation, Institute of Psychiatry, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Maurizio Pompili
- Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Gabriele Sani
- Department of Neuroscience, Section of Psychiatry, University Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience, Sensory Organs and Thorax, Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
- Department of Psychiatry, Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Umberto Volpe
- Clinical Psychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy
| | - Andrea Fiorillo
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
| |
Collapse
|