Identity Disturbance in the Digital Era during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Adverse Effects of Social Media and Job Stress
Obrenovic B. Godinic D. Du G. Khudaykulov A. Gan H.
August 2024Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
Behavioral Sciences
2024#14Issue 8
The empirical study aimed to explore the relationships among social media exposure, job stress, anxiety, and identity disturbance in a nonclinical setting in the COVID-19 pandemic context. An online questionnaire was administered to 282 participants in the United States of America (USA) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study utilized a two-step Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approach consisting of both measurement model and structural model testing. Relationships between the model variables of social media exposure, identity disturbance, anxiety, and job stress were analyzed using standardized beta coefficients, standard errors, t-values, and p-values. The results indicate that both social media exposure and job stress are associated with increased anxiety levels, which, in turn, influence identity disturbance. Moreover, there is a moderating effect of job stress on the relationship between social media exposure and anxiety, as well as the mediating effect of anxiety on the relationship between social media exposure and identity disturbance. The findings are valuable for organizations and can be used to develop programs aimed at mitigating the adverse effects of social media exposure on mental health. Prioritizing employee mental health through awareness and support initiatives is paramount, especially for those facing high stress and extensive social media use.
anxiety , COVID-19 pandemic , identity disturbance , job stress , mental health , social media exposure
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Zagreb School of Economics and Management, Zagreb, 10000, Croatia
School of Business and Management, Q University, Almaty, 050026, Kazakhstan
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, 10000, Croatia
Social Sciences Department, Communication University of Zhejiang, Hangzhou, 310018, China
Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin, The University of Dublin, Dublin, D02 F6N2, Ireland
Multimedia Department, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, 03603, South Korea
Zagreb School of Economics and Management
School of Business and Management
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Social Sciences Department
Trinity Business School
Multimedia Department
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