Online Behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic and their associations with psychological factors: an international exploratory study

Autores da FMUP

• Irene Maria Palmares Dias Carvalho

  Autor

Participantes de fora da FMUP

• J. Burkauskas
• N. A. Fineberg
• K. Ioannidis
• S. R. Chamberlain
• H. Bowden-Jones
• I. Griskova-Bulanova
• A. Pranckeviciene
• Dores, A.
• Barbosa, F.
• P. Simonato
• I. De Luca
• R. Mooney
• M. A. Gomez-Martinez
• Z. Demetrovics
• K. E. Abel
• A. Szabo
• H. Fujiwara
• M. Shibata
• A. R. Melero-Ventola
• E. M. Arroyo-Anllo
• R. M. Santos-Labrador
• K. Kobayashi
• F. Di Carlo
• C. Monteiro
• G. Martinotti
• O. Corazza

Unidades de investigação

• Laboratório Associado RISE- Rede de Investigação em Saúde

  

  Investigador

  Fernando Carlos De Landér Schmitt

• Neurociências Clínicas e Saúde Mental

• RISE-Health

  

  Investigador

  Fernando Carlos De Landér Schmitt

Abstract

This cross-sectional study aimed to explore specific online behaviours and their association with a range of underlying psychological and other behavioural factors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eight countries (Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Lithuania, Portugal, Japan, Hungary, and Brazil) participated in an international investigation involving 2223 participants (M = 33 years old; SD = 11), 70% of whom were females. Participants were surveyed for specific type of Internet use severity, appearance anxiety, self-compassion, and image and use of performance-enhancing drugs (IPEDs). Results were compared cross-culturally. The mean time spent online was 5 h (SD = +/- 3) of daily browsing during the pandemic. The most commonly performed activities included social networking, streaming, and general surfing. A strong association between these online behaviours and appearance anxiety, self-compassion, and IPEDs use was found after adjustment for possible confounders, with higher scores being associated with specific online activities. Significant cross-cultural differences also emerged in terms of the amount of time spent online during the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords

• problematic usage of the Internet; appearance anxiety; COVID-19 pandemic; mental illness; self-compassion