%0 Journal Article
%@ 2368-7959
%I JMIR Publications
%V 9
%N 5
%P e36966
%T The Mental Health Impact of Daily News Exposure During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Ecological Momentary Assessment Study
%A Kellerman,John K
%A Hamilton,Jessica L
%A Selby,Edward A
%A Kleiman,Evan M
%+ Department of Psychology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 152 Frelinghuysen Rd, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, United States, 1 848 445 2576, jk1684@rutgers.edu
%K news consumption
%K worry
%K hopelessness
%K ecological momentary assessment
%K news media
%K COVID-19
%K pandemic
%K mental health
%K depression
%K stress
%K psychological distress
%K mediation model
%K digital health
%D 2022
%7 25.5.2022
%9 Original Paper
%J JMIR Ment Health
%G English
%X Background: Consumption of distressing news media, which substantially increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, has demonstrable negative effects on mental health. Objective: This study examines the proximal impact of daily exposure to news about COVID-19 on mental health in the first year of the pandemic. Methods: A sample of 546 college students completed daily ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) for 8 weeks, measuring exposure to news about COVID-19, worry and optimism specifically related to COVID-19, hopelessness, and general worry. Results: Participants completed >80,000 surveys. Multilevel mediation models indicated that greater daily exposure to news about COVID-19 is associated with higher same-day and next-day worry about the pandemic. Elevations in worry specifically about COVID-19 were in turn associated with greater next-day hopelessness and general worry. Optimism about COVID-19 mediated the relationship between daily exposure to COVID-19 news and next-day general worry but was not related to hopelessness. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the mental health impact of daily exposure to COVID-19 news and highlights how worry about the pandemic contributes over time to hopelessness and general worry. 
%M 35377320
%R 10.2196/36966
%U https://mental.jmir.org/2022/5/e36966
%U https://doi.org/10.2196/36966
%U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35377320