#Nomask on Instagram: Exploring Visual Representations of the Antisocial Norm on Social Media.

Social media (SM) functions such as hashtags and photo uploading can enrich and expedite user interactions, but can also facilitate the online spread of antisocial norms. Mask aversion is one such antisocial norm shared on SM in the current COVID-19 pandemic circumstances. This study utilized the social representation theory (SRT) to explore how mask aversion is visually represented in the Instagram photos tagged with #NoMask. It examined the overall content of the photos, the characteristics of the faces portrayed in the photos, and the presented words in the photos. Additionally, the study grouped the photos through k-means clustering and compared the resulting clusters in terms of content, characteristics of the faces, presented words, pixel-level characteristics, and the public's responses to the photos. The results indicate that people, especially human faces, were visually represented the most in the Instagram photos tagged with #NoMask. Two clusters were generated by k-means clustering-Text-centered and people-centered. The visual representations of the two clusters differed in terms of content characteristics and pixel-level attributes. The texts presented in the photos manifested a unique way of delivering key messages. The photos of the people-centered cluster received more positive comments than the text-centered one; however, the two clusters were not significantly different in eliciting engagement. This study can contribute to expanding the scope of SRT to visual representations and hashtag movements.

Post-Traumatic Growth during COVID-19: The Role of Perceived Social Support, Personality, and Coping Strategies.

Although many studies on mental health have been conducted among various populations during the COVID-19 pandemic, few studies have focused on post-traumatic growth (PTG) in the general population. The current study aimed to explore whether perceived social support, personality, and coping strategies are associated with PTG in the COVID-19 pandemic period. The study also investigated whether coping strategies mediate the relations between perceived social support, personality, and PTG. A total of 181 participants (Mage = 24) completed the self-report questionnaire online, which was distributed via various online channels, mainly in China and Sweden. The relations between the study variables were examined with correlation analyses and a multiple mediation analysis. Results showed that more than half of the participants (60.8%) reported experiences of PTG during the pandemic. Additionally, perceived social support, personality traits (extraversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) and coping strategies (problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping, and social support coping) were positively correlated with PTG. In addition, coping strategies (problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping, and avoidance coping) mediated the relations between perceived social support, personality traits and PTG. Theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed, concluding that the findings of this study have the potential to guide intervention efforts to promote positive change during the pandemic.

A Framework-Based Approach to Assessing Mental Health Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children and Adolescents.

The COVID-19 pandemic has yielded extensive impacts globally in the year of 2020. Although the mental health of children and adolescents may be particularly susceptible to stressors stemming from the pandemic and anti-contagion policies, most ongoing efforts are geared toward curbing the viral spread. In the current perspective, we have identified four domains of factors corresponding to an ecological framework that may directly or indirectly influence the mental health of children and adolescents during the pandemic. The evidence suggests that anti-contagion policies might trigger cascades that impact the mental health of children and their families through multiple different sectors that used to form a safety net for youths. Additionally, children with neuropsychiatric disorders could experience exacerbated symptoms during the pandemic. Furthermore, the risk of domestic violence has surged during the pandemic, which further compounds the imminent mental health crisis. A mental health pandemic could be inevitable if no proactive prevention strategies were in place. Therefore, we recommend understanding each individual mental health risk pathway via the ecological framework in order to develop integrative prevention and intervention strategies.