Media use for coping with anxiety during the COVID-19 confinement.

Abstract

Following the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns, media platforms have seen a huge surge of users for several different reasons. This study aims to examine how coping through different types of media could affect anxiety, it also examines the specific coping styles employed by media users. The design is a cross-sectional one; self-report surveys were sent out to people on social media platforms, and the measures used were the Brief-Cope and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) questionnaires. 703 participants aged of 18-54 participated in this study after reading and signing a consent sheet. One of the major findings indicated that most people who cope through media use dysfunctional coping styles like escapism and avoidance, and that they have higher levels of anxiety than their non-media consuming counterparts.