Affinity for Technology Relates to Group Cohesion for New, But Not Existing, Groups

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, governments around the world mandated shutdowns and social distancing, limiting how much people could see other people outside of their household. Because of this, people had negative mental health outcomes, and many people turned to technology to maintain connections and create new ones. In this paper, we examine the relationship between technology, mental health, and group cohesion with existing groups (N = 202) and new groups (N = 74). We surveyed U.S. participants in June 2020, two to three months after the start of mandated social distancing. Results indicated that, as predicted, higher levels of reported group cohesion typically related to better reported mental health; however, the relationship occurred differently for existing groups compared to new groups. Further, higher levels of affinity for technology did not relate to group cohesion for existing groups, but did relate to more perceived cohesion for new groups. Researchers and mental health practitioners can use these results to help people develop a sense of group cohesion with new and existing groups and improve mental health during relative social isolation; technology may be especially beneficial for people to connect with new groups compared to existing groups.