Media Use During COVID-19: An Investigation of Negative Effects on the Mental Health of Asian Versus White Americans

Abstract

The role of media use on mental health distress is particularly concerning during the COVID-19 global pandemic. The vulnerabilities to and experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States are greatly influenced by racial/ethnic inequalities. The COVID-19 pandemic may present unique mental health challenges for Asian Americans because of racial targeting and limited access to and engagement with mental health care. This present investigation examines whether the association between media use and mental health distress is more pronounced for Asian Americans for whom media messages that document and promote anti-Asian racism are likely to be especially salient and influential. Using a national survey of Asian (n = 524) and White (n = 527) American participants, our findings reveal that racial/ethnic identity interacted with the negative effect of media use on mental health for Asian Americans, but not for White Americans. We also explored whether the effect of media use on mental health was mediated by social and health risk perceptions. Results revealed that even though imagined stigma was associated with mental health distress, it did not mediate the effect of media use on mental health. Health risk perceptions mediated the negative effect of media use on both psychosocial distress and loneliness. Implications for health communication, media studies, and anti-Asian racism are discussed, especially in the context of health crises.

Social media mining under the COVID-19 context: Progress, challenges, and opportunities

“…Today, racism is recognized as a public health threat by the American Medical Association, as the connection between hateful social media posts and offline racially and religiously aggravated crime has previously been documented ( Williams et al, 2020 ). Moreover, for both traditional media and social media, the spread of hate during COVID-19 on such platforms results in potentially negative effects on population health, and such an observation has also been previously recorded ( Gao et al, 2020a , Quintero Johnson et al, 2021 ). Malicious content like racism and disinformation is spreading quickly beyond the control of individual social media platforms, thereby subverting their efforts to moderate content ( Velasquez et al, 2021 ).…”

White capitalism within communities of craftivism: mask making and health maintenance disparities during COVID-19

“…of COVID statistically detailed in the years to come, not only in the U.S., but within vulnerable populations worldwide. In particular, the long-term effects of mental stress experienced by Black/African Americans due to having "both the highest levels of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and the highest prevalence of fearing infection to a great extent" (Willis et al, 2021) should be researched further (Johnson et al, 2021). Furthermore, research on the change in procedures within the corporate medical industry detailing medical equipment development discrimination may help us understand how research is actionable and accountable steps toward racial equity.…”

Supplemental Material for The dark at the end of the tunnel: Doomscrolling on social media newsfeeds.

“…These investigations should also examine issues of social power, oppression, risk, and stigma. For example, within the U.S. context, data from the COVID-19 pandemic show that people with disabilities were more actively engaged with coronavirus-related news (Dobransky & Hargittai, 2021), and Asian Americans experienced a negative effect of media use on subjective well-being whereas White Americans did not (Quintero Johnson et al, 2021).…”