Perceived Stress and Use of Social Media Among Management Students During Covid-19 Pandemic: An Emphasis on Fatalistic Attitude and Mental Well-being

• Published in: South Asian journal of management Vol. 31; no. 2; pp. 112 - 129
• Main Authors: Sundaray, Bijaya Kumar, Sarangi, Pragyan Parimita, Patra, Soumendra Kumar
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New Delhi AMDISA Secretariat 30.08.2024
• Subjects: Age groups; Attitudes; Coping; COVID-19; Pandemics; Problem solving; Social networks; Stress; Students; Young adults; India
• ISSN: 0971-5428; 2584-007X
• DOI: 10.62206/sajm.31.2.2024.112-129

India has been facing the brunt of the devastating second wave of the Covid pandemic. The prolonged lockdown and consequent social isolations have given a boost to the usage of social media. One of the most affected segments during the period is the students. The present study is an effort to study the different usage patterns of social media by the management students due to perceived stress and its impact on mental well-being as well as fatalistic attitude. The final semester management students from various public and private universities were the respondents for the study. The data for the study was collected in Google Form which was administered through WhatsApp. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) has been used for testing the conceptual model for the study. The findings of the study portrays that to cope up with the perceived stress during covid pandemic the management students have used the social media as an avoidance and escaping strategy. Usage of social media patterns also influences mental wellbeing and fatalistic attitude of the young students. Further the study revealed the existence of relationship between mental wellbeing and fatalistic attitude of the students.