Social media use, and fear of COVID-19 among Ghanaian university students: the moderating role of gender
Abstract Background COVID-19 and its associated social restrictive measures and lockdowns exacerbated the use of social media and other technological facilities for communication. This study, therefore, examined Ghanaian students’ social media use and its relationship with fear of COVID-19, paying c...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2022-08-01
|
| Series: | BMC Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-022-00915-4 |
| _version_ | 1798037296002367488 |
|---|---|
| author | Esther K. Malm Mabel Oti-Boadi Nutifafa Eugene Yaw Dey Abigail Esinam Adade Godwin Ocansey |
| author_facet | Esther K. Malm Mabel Oti-Boadi Nutifafa Eugene Yaw Dey Abigail Esinam Adade Godwin Ocansey |
| author_sort | Esther K. Malm |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background COVID-19 and its associated social restrictive measures and lockdowns exacerbated the use of social media and other technological facilities for communication. This study, therefore, examined Ghanaian students’ social media use and its relationship with fear of COVID-19, paying close attention to the moderating role of gender. Methods A correlational online survey was used to collect data from a purposive sample of 209 University students in June and July 2020. Participants completed online measures on social media use and fear of COVID-19. Statistical analyses including independent-t test, Pearson correlation test and moderation analysis in PROCESS were conducted using SPSS v.24. Results Findings revealed that the mean scores of social media use and fear of COVID-19 did not statistically differ by gender. However, social media use had a small and positive association with fear of COVID-19 (r = 0.18, p = 0.009). Furthermore, gender was a significant moderator of the relationship between social media use and fear of COVID-19. Specifically, the increased use of social media resulted in greater experiences of fearing COVID-19 for females (B = − 0.24, p = 0.034) compared to males. Conclusion Although social media was useful in connecting with people and accessing pandemic-related information, our findings clearly suggest that overuse or over-engagement with social media was problematic, especially for females. Aside from developing interventions to reduce students’ fears of COVID-19, appropriate usage of social media should be advocated. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T21:24:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-186cada94c074689be8d059233e27a4d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-7283 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T21:24:37Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-186cada94c074689be8d059233e27a4d2022-12-22T04:02:27ZengBMCBMC Psychology2050-72832022-08-0110111010.1186/s40359-022-00915-4Social media use, and fear of COVID-19 among Ghanaian university students: the moderating role of genderEsther K. Malm0Mabel Oti-Boadi1Nutifafa Eugene Yaw Dey2Abigail Esinam Adade3Godwin Ocansey4Department of Psychology, Murray State UniversityDepartment of Psychology, University of GhanaDepartment of Psychology, University of GhanaDepartment of Psychology, University of GhanaDepartment of Psychology, University of GhanaAbstract Background COVID-19 and its associated social restrictive measures and lockdowns exacerbated the use of social media and other technological facilities for communication. This study, therefore, examined Ghanaian students’ social media use and its relationship with fear of COVID-19, paying close attention to the moderating role of gender. Methods A correlational online survey was used to collect data from a purposive sample of 209 University students in June and July 2020. Participants completed online measures on social media use and fear of COVID-19. Statistical analyses including independent-t test, Pearson correlation test and moderation analysis in PROCESS were conducted using SPSS v.24. Results Findings revealed that the mean scores of social media use and fear of COVID-19 did not statistically differ by gender. However, social media use had a small and positive association with fear of COVID-19 (r = 0.18, p = 0.009). Furthermore, gender was a significant moderator of the relationship between social media use and fear of COVID-19. Specifically, the increased use of social media resulted in greater experiences of fearing COVID-19 for females (B = − 0.24, p = 0.034) compared to males. Conclusion Although social media was useful in connecting with people and accessing pandemic-related information, our findings clearly suggest that overuse or over-engagement with social media was problematic, especially for females. Aside from developing interventions to reduce students’ fears of COVID-19, appropriate usage of social media should be advocated.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-022-00915-4GenderSocial media useFear of COVID-19University studentsGhana |
| spellingShingle | Esther K. Malm Mabel Oti-Boadi Nutifafa Eugene Yaw Dey Abigail Esinam Adade Godwin Ocansey Social media use, and fear of COVID-19 among Ghanaian university students: the moderating role of gender BMC Psychology Gender Social media use Fear of COVID-19 University students Ghana |
| title | Social media use, and fear of COVID-19 among Ghanaian university students: the moderating role of gender |
| title_full | Social media use, and fear of COVID-19 among Ghanaian university students: the moderating role of gender |
| title_fullStr | Social media use, and fear of COVID-19 among Ghanaian university students: the moderating role of gender |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social media use, and fear of COVID-19 among Ghanaian university students: the moderating role of gender |
| title_short | Social media use, and fear of COVID-19 among Ghanaian university students: the moderating role of gender |
| title_sort | social media use and fear of covid 19 among ghanaian university students the moderating role of gender |
| topic | Gender Social media use Fear of COVID-19 University students Ghana |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-022-00915-4 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT estherkmalm socialmediauseandfearofcovid19amongghanaianuniversitystudentsthemoderatingroleofgender AT mabelotiboadi socialmediauseandfearofcovid19amongghanaianuniversitystudentsthemoderatingroleofgender AT nutifafaeugeneyawdey socialmediauseandfearofcovid19amongghanaianuniversitystudentsthemoderatingroleofgender AT abigailesinamadade socialmediauseandfearofcovid19amongghanaianuniversitystudentsthemoderatingroleofgender AT godwinocansey socialmediauseandfearofcovid19amongghanaianuniversitystudentsthemoderatingroleofgender |