Date of Award

6-2022

Document Type

Restricted (Opt-Out)

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Department

Neuroscience

First Advisor

Ken DeBono

Keywords

Self-Monitoring, COVID-19, Social Isolation, Mental Health, Loneliness, Depression

Abstract

Consistent with past pandemics, preliminary research on the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated exacerbated mental health issues. These findings suggest that social isolation can be detrimental to our mental and psychological health. The present investigation explores self-monitoring as a predictor of psychological distress during extended periods of social isolation such as that of the COVID-19 pandemic. The self-monitoring construct captures systematic differences between individuals regarding their behavioral orientation and the way they interact with their social world. Given that the COVID-19 quarantine measures have primarily involved eliminating the external social environment that high self-monitors rely on to guide their behavior, it was hypothesized that high self-monitors would report more salient symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, and higher levels of loneliness, compared to their low self-monitoring counterparts. In a sample of 185 Union College students, participants completed a series of eight questionnaires that measured their self-monitoring, loneliness, depression, anxiety, and overall well-being. Although the results were not conventionally significant, data analysis revealed an unexpected pattern of preliminary results that will help to fill gaps in the literature and inspire future research that will inform our understanding of the intersection of personality and mental health.

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Rights Statement

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted.