A Moderating Role of Indian Rural and Urban Environment on the Relationship Between Various Social Networking Sites and Anxiety and Depression during Covid-19

Abstract

Introduction: Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 disease, there is a remarkable escalation in anxiety and depression. The current study investigated the association between the usage of different social networking sites with anxiety as well as depression during COVID-19 pandemic in the context of India.

Methods: The research also assessed the moderating role of an urban and rural environment in the connection between the use of social networking sites with depression and anxiety. The depression and anxiety were associated with the usage of social networking sites, although the role of the urban and rural environment in the relationship between social media usage and mental well-being during COVID 19 is unclear. The sample of 691 Indian young adults ages 19 -30 and above was surveyed in the current study. Ordinal logistic regression models and hierarchical regression analysis were used.

Results: The result revealed that during COVID 19, the respondents who were located in the urban environment had significantly higher depression and anxiety symptoms as compared to the rural environment.

Conclusion: The environment has significantly moderated the relationship between the usage of social networking sites, time spent on social networking sites and anxiety and depression. These affiliations are found to be strong enough to be valuable for medical practitioners to ask people who are showing significant depression and anxiety symptoms about their environment and usage of different social networking sites and to counsel them concerning this component.