Article Accepted Manuscript

Technostress, Coping, and Anxious and Depressive Symptomatology in University Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author(s) / Creator(s)

Galvin, John
Evans, Michael Scott
Nelson, Kenisha
Richards, Gareth
Mavritsaki, Eirini
Giovazolias, Theodoros
Koutra, Katerina
Mellor, Ben
Zurlo, Maria Clelia
Smith, Andrew Paul
Vallone, Federica

Abstract / Description

The COVID-19 pandemic raised many challenges for university staff and students, including the need to work from home, which resulted in a greater reliance on technology. We collected questionnaire data from university students (N = 894) in three European countries: Greece, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Data were collected between 7 th April 2020 and 19 th June 2020, representing a period covering the first lockdown and university closures in these countries and across Europe generally. We tested the hypotheses that technology-related stressors (techno-overload, work-home conflict, techno-ease, techno-reliability, techno-sociality, and pace of change) would be associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms, and that coping styles (problem-focused, emotion-focused, and avoidance) would mediate these relationships. Results showed significant positive associations between techno-overload, work-home conflict and anxiety and depressive symptoms, and significant negative associations between techno-reliability, techno-ease and anxiety and depressive symptoms. A significant negative association was found between techno-sociality and depressive symptoms but not anxiety symptoms. No evidence was found for an association between pace of change and anxiety or depressive symptoms. Multiple mediation analyses revealed significant direct effects of techno-overload, work-home conflict and techno-ease on anxiety symptoms, and of work-home conflict and techno-ease on depressive symptoms. Work-home conflict had significant indirect effects on anxiety and depressive symptoms through avoidance coping. Techno-overload and techno-ease both had significant indirect effects on anxiety symptoms through problem- and emotion-focused coping. Techno-ease also had a significant indirect effect on depressive symptoms through problem-focused coping. The findings add to the body of evidence on technostress amongst university students and provide knowledge on how technostress translates through coping strategies into anxious and depressive symptoms during the disruption caused by the outbreak of a pandemic disease.

Keyword(s)

university students technostress coping anxiety depression covid-19

Persistent Identifier

Date of first publication

2021-09-17

Journal title

Europe's Journal of Psychology

Publisher

PsychArchives

Publication status

acceptedVersion

Review status

reviewed

Is version of

Citation

Galvin, J., Evans, M. S., Nelson, K., Richards, G., Mavritsaki, E., Giovazolias, T., Koutra, K., Mellor, B., Zurlo, M. C., Smith, A. P., & Vallone, F. (in press). Technostress, Coping, and Anxious and Depressive Symptomatology in University Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic [Accepted manuscript]. Europe's Journal of Psychology. http://dx.doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.5108
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Galvin, John
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Evans, Michael Scott
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Nelson, Kenisha
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Richards, Gareth
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Mavritsaki, Eirini
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Giovazolias, Theodoros
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Koutra, Katerina
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Mellor, Ben
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Zurlo, Maria Clelia
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Smith, Andrew Paul
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Vallone, Federica
  • PsychArchives acquisition timestamp
    2021-09-17T14:51:35Z
  • Made available on
    2021-09-17T14:51:35Z
  • Date of first publication
    2021-09-17
  • Abstract / Description
    The COVID-19 pandemic raised many challenges for university staff and students, including the need to work from home, which resulted in a greater reliance on technology. We collected questionnaire data from university students (N = 894) in three European countries: Greece, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Data were collected between 7 th April 2020 and 19 th June 2020, representing a period covering the first lockdown and university closures in these countries and across Europe generally. We tested the hypotheses that technology-related stressors (techno-overload, work-home conflict, techno-ease, techno-reliability, techno-sociality, and pace of change) would be associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms, and that coping styles (problem-focused, emotion-focused, and avoidance) would mediate these relationships. Results showed significant positive associations between techno-overload, work-home conflict and anxiety and depressive symptoms, and significant negative associations between techno-reliability, techno-ease and anxiety and depressive symptoms. A significant negative association was found between techno-sociality and depressive symptoms but not anxiety symptoms. No evidence was found for an association between pace of change and anxiety or depressive symptoms. Multiple mediation analyses revealed significant direct effects of techno-overload, work-home conflict and techno-ease on anxiety symptoms, and of work-home conflict and techno-ease on depressive symptoms. Work-home conflict had significant indirect effects on anxiety and depressive symptoms through avoidance coping. Techno-overload and techno-ease both had significant indirect effects on anxiety symptoms through problem- and emotion-focused coping. Techno-ease also had a significant indirect effect on depressive symptoms through problem-focused coping. The findings add to the body of evidence on technostress amongst university students and provide knowledge on how technostress translates through coping strategies into anxious and depressive symptoms during the disruption caused by the outbreak of a pandemic disease.
    en_US
  • Publication status
    acceptedVersion
    en
  • Review status
    reviewed
    en
  • Citation
    Galvin, J., Evans, M. S., Nelson, K., Richards, G., Mavritsaki, E., Giovazolias, T., Koutra, K., Mellor, B., Zurlo, M. C., Smith, A. P., & Vallone, F. (in press). Technostress, Coping, and Anxious and Depressive Symptomatology in University Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic [Accepted manuscript]. Europe's Journal of Psychology. http://dx.doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.5108
  • ISSN
    1841-0413
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/4531
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.5108
  • Language of content
    eng
    en_US
  • Publisher
    PsychArchives
    en_US
  • Is version of
    https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.4725
  • Is version of
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.8340
  • Is related to
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.8340
  • Keyword(s)
    university students
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    technostress
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    coping
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    anxiety
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    depression
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    covid-19
    en_US
  • Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)
    150
  • Title
    Technostress, Coping, and Anxious and Depressive Symptomatology in University Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic
    en_US
  • DRO type
    article
    en_US
  • Journal title
    Europe's Journal of Psychology
  • Visible tag(s)
    PsychOpen GOLD
    en_US
  • Visible tag(s)
    Accepted Manuscript
    en_US