The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affects African Americans in the United States, including disparate rates of mortality and higher mental health consequences compared to Whites. However, African American young adults are underrepresented in the literature examining psychological distress (i.e., anxiety and depression) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Factors associated with psychological distress are important to examine among African American young adults during the pandemic to better inform culturally appropriate mental health interventions during times of increased uncertainty and isolation. The present study, grounded in the transactional theory of stress and coping, was a secondary analysis of 420 African American young adults exploring gender, age, coping, fear of missing out (FOMO), and COVID-19 news exposure as correlates of anxiety and depression. Results showed that gender, age, level of resilient coping, and experiences of FOMO were associated with psychological distress. Therefore, interventions to reduce psychological distress among African American young adults may need to focus on younger individuals and women, identify adaptive coping skills during times of significant change, and target individuals who experience FOMO.
AnwarA.MalikM.RaeesV.AnwarA. (2020). Role of mass media and public health communications in the COVID-19 pandemic. Cureus, 12(9), e10453. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.10453
2.
BatemanL. B.SchoenbergerY. M. M.HansenB.OsborneT. N.OkoroG. C.SpeightsK. M.FouadM. N. (2021). Confronting COVID-19 in under-resourced, African American neighborhoods: A qualitative study examining community member and stakeholders’ perceptions. Ethnicity and Health, 26(1), 49–67. https://doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2021.1873250
3.
BrooksS. K.WebsterR. K.SmithL. E.WoodlandL.WesselyS.GreenbergN.RubinG. J. (2020). The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it: Rapid review of the evidence. The Lancet, 395(10227), 912–920. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30460-8
4.
BrownL.KussD. J. (2020). Fear of missing out, mental wellbeing, and social connectedness: A seven-day social media abstinence trial. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(12), 4566. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124566
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020b). Morbidity and mortality weekly report (MMWR): Mental health, substance use, and suicidal ideation during the COVID-19 pandemic- United States, June 24-30, 2020. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6932a1.htm\
ChattersL. M.NguyenA. W.TaylorR. J.HopeM. O. (2018). Church and family support networks and depressive symptoms among African Americans: Findings from the National Survey of American Life. Journal of Community Psychology, 46(4), 403–417. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.21947
9.
CohenJ. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Routledge Academic.
10.
ConnerK. O.CopelandV. C.GroteN. K.RosenD.AlbertS.McMurrayM. L.ReynoldsC. F.BrownC.KoeskeG. (2010). Barriers to treatment and culturally endorsed coping strategies among depressed African American older adults. Aging and Mental Health, 14(8), 971–983. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2010.501061
11.
ElmerT.MephamK.StadtfeldC. (2020). Students under lockdown: Comparisons of students’ social networks and mental health before and during the COVID-19 crisis in Switzerland. PLoS One, 15(7), e0236337. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0236337
12.
FrancisD. B. (2021). Twitter is really therapeutic at times”: Examination of Black men’s Twitter conversations following hip-hop artist Kid Cudi’s depression disclosure. Health Communication, 36(4), 448–456. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2019.1700436
13.
FrancisD. B.FinnL. (2021). A theoretically based analysis of Twitter conversations about trauma and mental health: Examining responses to storylines on the television show Queen Sugar. Health Communication, 37(9), 1104–1112. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2021.1888454
14.
FumagalliE.DolmatzianM. B.ShrumL. J. (2021). Centennials, FOMO, and loneliness: An investigation of the impact of social networking and messaging/VoIP apps usage during the initial stage of the coronavirus pandemic. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 620739. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.620739.
15.
HamzaC. A.EwingL.HeathN. L.GoldsteinA. L. (2021). When social isolation is nothing new: A longitudinal study psychological distress during COVID-19 among university students with and without preexisting mental health concerns. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 62(1), 20–30. https://doi.org/10.1037/cap0000255
16.
HatchM.PoselD. (2018). Who cares for children? A quantitative study of childcare in South Africa. Development Southern Africa, 35(2), 267–282. https://doi.org/10.1080/0376835X.2018.1452716
17.
HayranC.AnikL. (2021). Well-being and fear of missing out (FOMO) on digital content in the time of COVID-19: A correlational analysis among university students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(4), 1974. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041974
18.
HayranC.AnikL.Gürhan-CanliZ. (2020). A threat to loyalty: Fear of missing out (FOMO) leads to reluctance to repeat current experiences. PLoS One, 15(4), e0232318. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232318
19.
HimleJ. A.BaserR. E.TaylorR. J.CampbellR. D.JacksonJ. S. (2009). Anxiety disorders among African Americans, Blacks of caribbean descent, and non-hispanic Whites in the United States. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 23(5), 578–590. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2009.01.002
20.
HolmesL.EnwereM.WilliamsJ.OgundeleB.ChavanP.PiccoliT.ChinakaC.ComeauxC.PelaezL.OkundayeO.StalnakerL.KalleF.DeepikaK.PhilipcienG.PoleonM.OgungbadeG.ElmiH.JohnV.DabneyK. W. (2020). Black–White risk differentials in COVID-19 (SARS-COV2) transmission, mortality and case fatality in the United States: Translational epidemiologic perspective and challenges. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(12), 4322. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124322
21.
HossainM. T.AhammedB.ChandaS. K.JahanN.ElaM. Z.IslamM. N. (2020). Social and electronic media exposure and generalized anxiety disorder among people during COVID-19 outbreak in Bangladesh: A preliminary observation. PLoS One, 15(9), e0238974. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0238974
22.
HunterC. D.CaseA. D.JosephN.MekawiY.BokhariE. (2017). The roles of shared racial fate and a sense of belonging with African Americans in Black immigrants’ race-related stress and depression. Journal of Black Psychology, 43(2), 135–158. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798415627114
23.
JormA. F.WindsorT. D.DearK. B.AnsteyK. J.ChristensenH.RodgersB. (2005). Age group differences in psychological distress: The role of psychosocial risk factors that vary with age. Psychological Medicine, 35(9), 1253–1263. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291705004976
KillgoreW. D.CloonanS. A.TaylorE. C.DaileyN. S. (2020). Loneliness: A signature mental health concern in the era of COVID-19. Psychiatry Research, 290, 113–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113117.
26.
KnightB. G.SilversteinM.McCallumT. J.FoxL. S. (2000). A sociocultural stress and coping model for mental health outcomes among African American caregivers in Southern California. Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 55(3), 142–150. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/55.3.P142
27.
KroenkeK.YuZ.WuJ.KeanJ.MonahanP. O. (2014). Operating characteristics of PROMIS four-item depression and anxiety scales in primary care patients with chronic pain. Pain Medicine, 15(11), 1892–1901. https://doi.org/10.1111/pme.12537
28.
LazarusR. S.FolkmanS. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer.
29.
LiY. Y.HuangY. T.DouK. (2021). Validation and psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the fear of missing out scale. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(18), 9896. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18189896
30.
LisitsaE.KatherineS. B.ChunS.SkaliskyJ.HammondL.MezulisA. H. (2020). Loneliness among young adults during Covid-19 pandemic: The mediational roles of social media use and social support seeking. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 39(8), 708–726. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2020.39.8.708
31.
LiuC.LiuY. (2020). Media exposure and anxiety during COVID-19: The mediation effect of media vicarious traumatization. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(13), 4720. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17134720
32.
LiuC. H.StevensC.ConradR. C.HahmH. C. (2020a). Evidence for elevated psychiatric distress, poor sleep, and quality of life concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic among US young adults with suspected and reported psychiatric diagnoses. Psychiatry Research, 292, 113345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113345.
33.
LiuM.ZhangH.HuangH. (2020b). Media exposure to COVID-19 information, risk perception, social and geographical proximity, and self-rated anxiety in China. BMC Public Health, 20(1), 1649. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-09761-8
34.
López-PinaJ. A.Meseguer-HenarejosA. B.Gascón-CánovasJ. J.Navarro-VillalbaD. J.SinclairV. G.WallstonK. A. (2016). Measurement properties of the brief resilient coping scale in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus using rasch analysis. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 14(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-016-0534-3
35.
MannionK. H.NolanS. A.MonacisL. (2020). The effect of smartphones on anxiety: An attachment issue or fear of missing out?Cogent Psychology, 7(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2020.1869378
36.
McCannJ. J.HebertL. E.BeckettL. A.MorrisM. C.ScherrP. A.EvansD. A. (2000). Comparison of informal caregiving by Black and White older adults in a community population. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 48(12), 1612–1617. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2000.tb03872.x
37.
MilyavskayaM.SaffranM.HopeN.KoestnerR. (2018). Fear of missing out: Prevalence, dynamics, and consequences of experiencing FOMO. Motivation and Emotion, 42(5), 725–737. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-018-9683-5
38.
NguyenA. W. (2018). African American elders, mental health, and the role of the church. Generations, 42(2), 61–67.
39.
ParkC. L.Finkelstein-FoxL.RussellB. S.FendrichM.HutchisonM.BeckerJ. (2021). Americans’ distress early in the COVID-19 pandemic: Protective resources and coping strategies. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice and Policy, 13(4), 422–431. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000931
40.
PearmanA.HughesM. L.SmithE. L.NeupertS. D. (2021). Age differences in risk and resilience factors in COVID-19-related stress. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 76(2), e38–e44. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaa120
PilkonisP. A.ChoiS. W.ReiseS. P.StoverA. M.RileyW. T.CellaD.GroupP. C. (2011). Item banks for measuring emotional distress from the patient-reported outcomes measurement information system (PROMIS®): Depression, anxiety, and anger. Assessment, 18(3), 263–283. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191111411667
43.
PrimackB. A.ShensaA.Escobar-VieraC. G.BarrettE. L.SidaniJ. E.ColditzJ. B.JamesA. E. (2017). Use of multiple social media platforms and symptoms of depression and anxiety: A nationally-representative study among US young adults. Computers in Human Behavior, 69, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.11.013.
44.
PrzybylskiA. K.MurayamaK.DeHaanC. R.GladwellV. (2013). Motivational, emotional, and behavioral correlates of fear of missing out. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(4), 1841–1848. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.02.014
45.
PurtleJ. (2020). COVID-19 and mental health equity in the United States. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 55(8), 969–971. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-020-01896-8
RettieH.DanielsJ. (2020). Coping and tolerance of uncertainty: Predictors and mediators of mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. American Psychologist, 76(3), 427–437. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000710
48.
RiehmK. E.HolingueC.KalbL. G.BennettD.KapteynA.JiangQ.ThrulJ. (2020). Associations between media exposure and mental distress among US adults at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 59(5), 630–638. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2020.06.008
49.
ShahS.MohammadD.QureshiM.AbbasM. Z.AleemS. (2021). Prevalence, psychological responses and associated correlates of depression, anxiety and stress in a global population, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Community Mental Health Journal, 57(1), 101–110. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-020-00728-y
ShamblawA. L.RumasR. L.BestM. W. (2021). Coping during the COVID-19 pandemic: Relations with mental health and quality of life. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 62(1), 92–100. https://doi.org/10.1037/cap0000263
52.
ShechterA.DiazF.MoiseN.AnsteyD. E.YeS.AgarwalS.AbdallaM. (2020). Psychological distress, coping behaviors, and preferences for support among New York healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. General Hospital Psychiatry, 66, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2020.06.00.
53.
SinclairV. G.WallstonK. A. (2004). The development and psychometric evaluation of the brief resilient coping scale. Assessment, 11(1), 94–101. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191103258144
54.
SteadH.BibbyP. A. (2017). Personality, fear of missing out and problematic internet use and their relationship to subjective well-being. Computers in Human Behavior, 76, 534–540. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.08.016.
VilsaintC. L.NeMoyerA.FillbrunnM.SadikovaE.KesslerR. C.SampsonN. A.AlvarezK.Greif GreenJ.McLaughlinK. A.ChenR.WilliamsD. R.JacksonJ. S.AlegríaM. (2019). Racial/ethnic differences in 12-month prevalence and persistence of mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders: Variation by nativity and socioeconomic status. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 89, 52–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.comppsych.2018.12.008.
57.
WardE. C.WiltshireJ. C.DetryM. A.BrownR. L. (2013). African American men and women's attitude toward mental illness, perceptions of stigma, and preferred coping behaviors. Nursing Research, 62(3), 185–194. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNR.0b013e31827bf533
