Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic is a highly stressful and unprecedented event, and its effects on mental health are relatively unknown. In-person social support and interaction are known protective factors against internalizing symptoms, however, due to social distancing regulations, people are engaging in face-to-face (FTF) interactions less and technology-mediated communication (TMC) more. The current study investigated if FTF interaction and different forms of TMC relate to internalizing symptoms. Undergraduate students from Brandeis University reported their frequency of FTF interactions, and interactions through video chats, phone calls, text messaging, and social media with family, friends, and special persons, as well as their symptoms of depression and anxiety. We used multiple regression analyses to analyze the data. Overall social interaction with family and friends were significantly associated with lower internalizing symptoms overall, and depression symptoms when testing anxiety and depression separately . FTF interaction with family was negatively related to internalizing symptoms, while no forms of TMC were associated with internalizing symptoms. This suggests that social interaction, and specifically FTF interaction, may be protective against internalizing symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic, however, TMC may not sufficiently protect against internalizing symptoms.