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Category: Project

Description: Research suggests that stress is associated with a variety of mental health challenges including depression (Byrne et al., 2007; Deardoff, Gonzales, & Sandler, 2003), suicidal ideation (Diaz et al., 2002) and anxiety (Bryne et al., 2007). However, less work has explored new stressors related to social media and digital technology use. Theoretical models of digital stress have suggested that it is a multidimensional construct and includes a variety of potential stressors, such as a desire for social approval, fear of missing out and being overwhelmed by the amount of information available through the media (Steele et al., 2019). There is a need for empirical research to test such models, and it is unclear how the concept of digital stress is experienced across cultures. The purpose of this study is to explore a newly developed measure of digital stress and investigate the relationship between digital stress and psychosocial outcomes with a sample of emerging adults in the United States and Portugal.