The Association Between Perceived Risk of COVID-19, Psychological Distress, and Internet Addiction in College Students: An Application of Stress Process Model

Frontiers in Psychology

Jianhua Hou¹  Biru Chang² 

[1] Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China;School of Preschool Education, Xi’an University, Xi’an, China;

关键词: COVID-19;    perceived risk;    internet addiction;    psychological distress;    college students;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2022.898203

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The closed-off management of the university during coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may be associated with an elevated odds of psychological and behavioral issues among college students. We aimed to use the stress-process model to explore the potential mechanisms for this phenomenon. A total of 924 college students were recruited via posters, peer referrals, and class attendance. Among them, 82 (9%) were probable depression, 190 (20.8%) were probable anxiety, and 69 (7.5%) were internet addiction. Parallel mediation was used to test this theoretical model. For personal resources, the perceived risk of COVID-19 was positively associated with psychological distress via negative coping style (β = 0.051) and internet addiction via negative coping style or self-esteem (β = 0.023 for negative coping style, β = 0.015 for self-esteem). For social resources, the perceived risk of COVID-19 was positively associated with psychological distress and internet addiction via roommate relationships (β = 0.19 for psychological distress, β = 0.046 for internet addiction). Negative coping styles and roommate relationships are possible psychological mechanisms linking the perceived risk of COVID-19, psychological distress, and internet addiction.

【 授权许可】

Unknown