RAPID: Technology use to facilitate social distancing and coping with the disruption of COVID-19

This research will swiftly identify how computer-based and information technologies can increase awareness of measures that prevent the spread of COVID-19 and coping with the stresses of social distancing. The COVID-19 pandemic presents many challenges for day-to-day life. In addition to health impacts, individuals face unprecedented changes in how they live, work, and cope with the stresses of disrupted routines at work, home, and in how they interact with friends and family. However, a wide variety of technologies enable people to create new routines, continue working, connect with others, and cope with health risks and rising levels of anxiety and worry. These types of technologies have often been studied as the cause of anxiety and stress rather than as solutions for mitigating negative emotions and facilitating people?s ability to cope with challenges. Additionally, this research will contribute novel insights about how technology facilitates work and daily activities affected by social distancing and what role they can play in reducing stress and enhancing psychological well-being through mindfulness and mindful use of technology. This project is jointly funded by Cyber-Human Systems and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

This project has four primary research goals. First, it seeks to get a deep understanding of what technologies people are using to prevent the spread of COVID-19 through social distancing, to manage daily life, and to cope with stress. Second, it will explore whether and how people are using or adapting technologies in new ways to meet new needs resulting from COVID-19. Third, it seeks to understand the relationships of technology use to self-reported physical health as well as emotional and psychological well-being and to anxiety levels gathered via social media data collection and analysis. Fourth, it will design and test a mindfulness intervention to increase people?s mindfulness, emotion regulation, and coping with COVID-19. Using survey methods, social media analysis, and quasi-experimental methods, this research will examine a range of technologies being used during the COVID-19 pandemic to better understand how technology use relates to participating in social distancing and other measures to prevent the spread of the virus. This project fits most appropriately in the Rapid Response Research (RAPID) funding mechanism due to its urgency with regard to availability and access of data in real time.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.