Abstract
Since the onset of COVID-19, many individuals have experienced a multitude of pervasive, chronic stressors and diminished psychological functioning. The current study examined whether cognitive biases towards positive social media or autobiographical memories augmented psychological functioning during COVID-19. Participants were 797 adults (Mage = 47.73; 58% female) recruited from CloudResearch/Turk Prime. Participants reported on their positively biased social media consumption and autobiographical recall, positive and negative affect, and dysphoria symptoms. Results indicated racial group differences in relations between positively biased social media consumption and negative affect and dysphoria symptoms and between positively biased autobiographical recall and positive affect. Positively biased social media consumption was negatively related to negative affect for multi-racial individuals, and to dysphoria symptoms for Asians/Pacific Islanders, and unrelated for all other racial groups. Positively biased autobiographical recall was negatively related to positive affect for Black/African Americans, and positively related for individuals who identified as “other,” and unrelated for all other racial groups. Racial diversity should be considered in theory and clinical interventions on positive biases and psychological functioning during COVID-19.
Degree Date
Summer 7-31-2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Department
Psychology
Advisor
Holly Bowen, PhD
Number of Pages
81
Format
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Recommended Citation
Gower, Tricia, "A Longitudinal Investigation of Positive Biases and Psychological Functioning During theCoronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic" (2023). Psychology Theses and Dissertations. 35.
https://scholar.smu.edu/hum_sci_psychology_etds/35
