Support from Social Media during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review
Abstract
:1. Introduction and Background
1.1. The Social Aspect of Social Media
1.2. Stress-Buffering through Social Media
1.3. Support Obtained through Social Media during COVID-19
1.4. The Present Study
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Design
2.2. Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria
2.3. Search Strategy
2.4. Screening and Data Extraction
2.5. Study Quality and Risk-of-Bias Assessment
2.6. Data Synthesis
3. Results
3.1. Study Designs and Data Collection Periods
3.2. Participant Characteristics
3.3. Quality Assessment Outcomes
3.4. Study Outcomes
3.4.1. Social Support
3.4.2. Emotional Support
3.4.3. Informational Support
4. Discussion
4.1. Social Support Facilitated by Active Use of Social Media
4.2. Negative Emotions Relieved through Community Building on Social Media
4.3. Information Dissemination on Social Media
4.4. Contributions, Implication, and Limitations
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Databases | Search Terms | 29 October 2022 | 1 April 2023 |
---|---|---|---|
PsycINFO | tiab(COVID-19 OR “COVID 19” OR covid* OR coronavirus* OR “novel coronavirus” OR “new coronavirus” OR quarant* OR pandemic OR 2019-nCoV OR SARS-CoV-2 OR lockdown OR “lock down” OR “social isolation” OR confinement) AND tiab(“social media” OR “social networking” OR “social networking site” OR “SNS” OR “online social networking” OR “social media use” OR “social media exposure” OR “Facebook” OR “Twitter” OR “Instagram” OR “Weibo”) AND tiab(“psychological well-being” OR “psychological wellbeing” OR “psychological well being” OR “psychological health” OR “mental health” OR “mental well-being” OR “mental wellbeing” OR “mental well being” OR “subjective well-being” OR “subjective wellbeing” OR “subjective well being” OR “social well-being” OR “social wellbeing” OR “social well being” OR “emotional well-being” OR “ emotional wellbeing” OR “ emotional well being” OR “life satisfaction” OR “positive mood” OR cope OR coping OR resilien* OR “peer support” OR “social support” OR “social connection” OR “social capital”) | 426 | 78 |
PubMed | ((COVID-19[Title/Abstract] OR “COVID 19”[Title/Abstract] OR covid*[Title/Abstract] OR coronavirus*[Title/Abstract] OR “novel coronavirus”[Title/Abstract] OR “new coronavirus”[Title/Abstract] OR quarant*[Title/Abstract] OR pandemic[Title/Abstract] OR 2019-nCoV[Title/Abstract] OR SARS-CoV-2[Title/Abstract] OR lockdown[Title/Abstract] OR “lock down”[Title/Abstract] OR “social isolation”[Title/Abstract] OR confinement[Title/Abstract]) AND (“social media”[Title/Abstract] OR “social networking”[Title/Abstract] OR “social networking site”[Title/Abstract] OR “SNS”[Title/Abstract] OR “online social networking”[Title/Abstract] OR “social media use”[Title/Abstract] OR “social media exposure”[Title/Abstract] OR “Facebook”[Title/Abstract] OR “Twitter”[Title/Abstract] OR “Instagram”[Title/Abstract] OR “Weibo”[Title/Abstract])) AND (“psychological well-being”[Title/Abstract] OR “psychological wellbeing”[Title/Abstract] OR “psychological well being”[Title/Abstract] OR “psychological health”[Title/Abstract] OR “mental health”[Title/Abstract] OR “mental well-being”[Title/Abstract] OR “mental wellbeing”[Title/Abstract] OR “mental well being”[Title/Abstract] OR “subjective well-being”[Title/Abstract] OR “subjective wellbeing”[Title/Abstract] OR “subjective well being”[Title/Abstract] OR “social well-being”[Title/Abstract] OR “social wellbeing”[Title/Abstract] OR “social well being”[Title/Abstract] OR “emotional well-being”[Title/Abstract] OR “ emotional wellbeing”[Title/Abstract] OR “ emotional well being”[Title/Abstract] OR “life satisfaction”[Title/Abstract] OR “positive mood”[Title/Abstract] OR cope[Title/Abstract] OR coping[Title/Abstract] OR resilien*[Title/Abstract] OR “peer support”[Title/Abstract] OR “social support”[Title/Abstract] OR “social connection”[Title/Abstract] OR “social capital”[Title/Abstract]) | 1358 | 341 |
Scopus | (TITLE-ABS-KEY (COVID-19 OR “COVID 19” OR covid* OR coronavirus* OR “novel coronavirus” OR “new coronavirus” OR quarant* OR pandemic OR 2019-ncov OR SARS-CoV-2 OR lockdown OR “lock down” OR “social isolation” OR confinement) AND TITLE-ABS-KEY (“social media” OR “social networking” OR “social networking site” OR “SNS” OR “online social networking” OR “social media use” OR “social media exposure” OR “Facebook” OR “Twitter” OR “Instagram” OR “Weibo”) AND TITLE-ABS-KEY (“psychological well-being” OR “psychological wellbeing” OR “psychological well being” OR “psychological health” OR “mental health” OR “mental well-being” OR “mental wellbeing” OR “mental well being” OR “subjective well-being” OR “subjective wellbeing” OR “subjective well being” OR “social well-being” OR “social wellbeing” OR “social well being” OR “emotional well-being” OR “ emotional wellbeing” OR “ emotional well being” OR “life satisfaction” OR “positive mood” OR cope OR coping OR resilien* OR “peer support” OR “social support” OR “social connection” OR “social capital”)) AND PUBYEAR > 2018 AND PUBYEAR < 2023 AND (LIMIT-TO (LANGUAGE, “English”)) | 3023 | 754 |
Web of Science | Search titles: ((TI = (COVID-19 OR “COVID 19” OR covid* OR coronavirus* OR “novel coronavirus” OR “new coronavirus” OR quarant* OR pandemic OR 2019-nCoV OR SARS-CoV-2 OR lockdown OR “lock down” OR “social isolation” OR confinement)) AND TI = (“social media” OR “social networking” OR “social networking site” OR “SNS” OR “online social networking” OR “social media use” OR “social media exposure” OR “Facebook” OR “Twitter” OR “Instagram” OR “Weibo”)) AND TI = (“psychological well-being” OR “psychological wellbeing” OR “psychological well being” OR “psychological health” OR “mental health” OR “mental well-being” OR “mental wellbeing” OR “mental well being” OR “subjective well-being” OR “subjective wellbeing” OR “subjective well being” OR “social well-being” OR “social wellbeing” OR “social well being” OR “emotional well-being” OR “ emotional wellbeing” OR “ emotional well being” OR “life satisfaction” OR “positive mood” OR cope OR coping OR resilien* OR “peer support” OR “social support” OR “social connection” OR “social capital”) Search abstracts: ((AB = (COVID-19 OR “COVID 19” OR covid* OR coronavirus* OR “novel coronavirus” OR “new coronavirus” OR quarant* OR pandemic OR 2019-nCoV OR SARS-CoV-2 OR lockdown OR “lock down” OR “social isolation” OR confinement)) AND AB = (“social media” OR “social networking” OR “social networking site” OR “SNS” OR “online social networking” OR “social media use” OR “social media exposure” OR “Facebook” OR “Twitter” OR “Instagram” OR “Weibo”)) AND AB = (“psychological well-being” OR “psychological wellbeing” OR “psychological well being” OR “psychological health” OR “mental health” OR “mental well-being” OR “mental wellbeing” OR “mental well being” OR “subjective well-being” OR “subjective wellbeing” OR “subjective well being” OR “social well-being” OR “social wellbeing” OR “social well being” OR “emotional well-being” OR “ emotional wellbeing” OR “ emotional well being” OR “life satisfaction” OR “positive mood” OR cope OR coping OR resilien* OR “peer support” OR “social support” OR “social connection” OR “social capital”) | 1568 | 378 |
Total search outcome: | 7926 |
Authors | Study Designs | Social Media Platforms | Date of Data Collection and Regions | Sampling | Key Findings | Quality Appraisal |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bishop et al., 2022 [51] | Mixed method | Qualitative: Fall 2020 to Spring 2021; quantitative: September to November 2020; in Canada | 181 members of care-mongering Facebook Groups (qualitative: 16 and quantitative: 165 Age range: from under 35 to over 80 | Informational support: Information exchange on care-mongering Facebook Groups facilitated, for example, donation distribution. | 1 | |
Cauberghe et al., 2021 [12] | Cross-sectional | General social media platforms | 16 to 30 April 2020 in Belgium | 2165 adolescents Mean age: 15.51 | Emotional support: Using social media as an active coping mediated the relationships between anxiety and happiness. | 5 |
Chuang, 2022 [66] | Cross-sectional | 25 May to 7 June 2021 in Taiwan | 340 users Age range: from under 20 to above 41 | Emotional support: Social media use was positively associated with subjective well-being. | 4 | |
Feng et al., 2022 [63] | Qualitative | General social media platforms | In China without specifying period | 19 users Age range: from 20 to 67 | Emotional support: Communication with others on social media helped relieve psychological pain, anxiety, and depression. | 4 |
Helm et al., 2022 [34] | Cross-sectional | General social media platforms | Study 1: 26 March 2020; Study 2: 2 to 24 April 2020 in United States | 1446 users (Study 1: 299; Study 2: 1147) Mean age: Study 1 = 38.75; Study 2 = 37.47 | Emotional support: Study 1: social media use predicted lower social loneliness. Study 2: active social media use predicted meaning in life through lower social loneliness. | 4 |
Lee-Won et al., 2023 [67] | Cross-sectional | General social media platforms | Study 1: June 2021 in United States; study 2: October 2021 in South Korea | 1995 users (Study 1: 485; Study 2: 1510) Mean age: Study 1 = 43.17; Study 2 = 47.68 | Emotional support: Recollection of one’s past events on social media was positively associated with life satisfaction. | 4 |
Liu et al., 2023 [18] | Cross-sectional | General social media platforms | February 2020 in China | 511 users Mean age: 32.57 | Informational support: Information sharing on social media was positively related to informational reciprocity and life satisfaction. | 4 |
Maftei et al., 2023 [68] | Cross-sectional | General social media platforms | 23 September to 7 October 2021 in Romania | 258 adolescents Mean age: 13.38 | Emotional support: Social media use was positively associated with well-being. | 2 |
Mantymaki et al., 2022 [49] | Cross-sectional | Early May 2020 from MTurk without specifying nations | 398 users Age range: from 20 to 69 | Emotional support: Using social media to detach from COVID-19 stressors had a positive effect on mental well-being. | 3 | |
Masciantonio et al., 2021 [69] | Cross-sectional | Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok | 7 to 16 April 2020 in Belgium | 793 users Mean age: 33.75 | Social support: On Facebook: passive use of social media was negatively associated with satisfaction with life. On Twitter: active use of social media was positively associated with satisfaction with life through social support. On Instagram: active use of social media was positively associated with satisfaction with life through social support. On TikTok: both active and passive use showed no significant association with satisfaction with life. | 4 |
Midgley et al., 2022 [8] | Experimental | Facebook and Instagram | 27 April to 8 May 2020 in Canada and United States | 681 users Mean age: 35.58 | Social support: Spending time on social media was associated with greater feelings of social connection. | 4 |
Pennington, 2021 [62] | Mixed method | Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram | Mid-April 2020 in United States | 307 college students and general social media users Mean age: 34.22 | Emotional support: Quantitative: Active use of social media was associated with lower loneliness. Qualitative: social media facilitated connection with long-distance family and friends, and previously lapsed social ties. | 1 |
Sitar-Taut et al., 2021 [15] | Cross-sectional | General social media platforms | May 2020 in Romania | 544 college students Age: 55.33% under 22 years of age | Social support: Social media use predicted bridging and maintaining social capital. | 5 |
Staniewski & Awruk, 2022 [64] | Cross-sectional | January 2022 in Poland | 359 users Age range: from 25 to over 49 | Emotional support: Majority of the respondents (71%) did not consider using Instagram would have negative impact on their mental well-being, as opposed to 8% reported worsened mental well-being as a result of using Instagram. | 4 | |
Testoni et al., 2021 [10] | Qualitative | In Italy without specifying period | 40 grievers on Facebook Mean age: 47 | Emotional support: Work-through of bereavement on Facebook Groups dedicated to the COVID-19 grievers | 4 | |
Thygesen et al., 2022 [65] | Cross-sectional | General social media platforms | 24 October to 29 November 2020 in United States, UK, Norway, and Australia | 3474 users Aged 18 or above | Emotional support: Mental well-being was positively associated with motives for contacting others and maintaining relationships. | 5 |
Xie et al., 2022 [9] | Cross-sectional | Facebook and Instagram | October 2020 in United States | 676 users Mean age: 41.1 | Social support: Using social media for seeking social support was positively associated with community resilience. | 5 |
C C Yang et al., 2020 [60] | Cross-sectional | General social media platforms | May 2020 recruited Asians in United States | 242 users Mean age: 32.88 | Emotional support: Active use of social media predicted subjective well-being. | 4 |
Y Yang et al., 2020 [47] | Cross-sectional | General social media platforms | 19 to 21 February 2020 in China | 3159 users Aged 18 or above | Informational support: Information sharing on social media was positively related to sense of adequacy, whereas that is negatively related to anxiety. | 4 |
Zhen, 2021 [61] | Cross-sectional | General social media platforms | 8 to 25 April 2020 in United States | 215 college students Mean age: 20.5 | Emotional support: Disclosure of personal issues to friends on social media helped reduce perceived stress caused by COVID-19. | 3 |
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Szeto, S.; Au, A.K.Y.; Cheng, S.K.L. Support from Social Media during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review. Behav. Sci. 2024, 14, 759. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14090759
Szeto S, Au AKY, Cheng SKL. Support from Social Media during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review. Behavioral Sciences. 2024; 14(9):759. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14090759
Chicago/Turabian StyleSzeto, Stephanie, Algae Kit Yee Au, and Sophie Kai Lam Cheng. 2024. "Support from Social Media during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review" Behavioral Sciences 14, no. 9: 759. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14090759