Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING PRACTICE, cilt.28, sa.2, 2022 (SCI-Expanded)
Aim This study was conducted to determine media use, positive and negative emotions, and stress levels of adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Background Using media tools in the pandemic process has impacted the mental health of individuals. As the COVID-19 outbreak is a new disease fear, anxiety and stress about this situation can cause strong emotions in adults. Methods The research was carried out using a cross-sectional design. The sample consisted of 1541 adults. The Positive and Negative Emotion Scale, and the Perceived Stress Scale were used to collect the data. Results The Positive Emotion Scale mean scores were lower (p < 0.05) for those people whose daily media use time was more than 4 h and who followed the developments about COVID-19 through the media once a day. It was found that those with daily media use of more than 4 h/day had higher Perceived Stress Scale scores than those with lower use (p > 0.05). Conclusion This study concluded that the use of media in adults increased during the COVID-19 outbreak and that media use was associated with positive and negative emotions and stress levels. Health professionals should assess the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak on mental health in various community groups and develop interventions to prevent negative consequences of increased media use.