Americans have increasingly changed employment in recent years, with public polling reporting a desire to boost personal well-being, improve benefits, and work in a job they are passionate about. While these changes create new opportunities, they can also disrupt social networks, which in turn may affect well-being. Drawing on a sample of adult Americans (N = 1327) who experienced a change in employment within the past year, this study explored how employment change related to friendship (satisfaction and network size) and well-being (connection, disconnection, life satisfaction, and loneliness). Results suggest starting a new job may widen friendship networks but may also contribute to maintenance difficulties, greater feelings of disconnection and loneliness, and lower life satisfaction.
Mental health in media has been studied extensively. The role of celebrity disclosure is also considered in the process of destigmatizing mental illness. On January 12, 2025, a clip of Zane Gonzalez (National Football League player) went viral, leading to a broader discussion about him living with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). We conducted an online survey with a nationally representative American sample (N = 397) and found that attention paid to Zane Gonzalez media stories right after his disclosure was a media hot topic was associated with intentions to share OCD awareness, and it moderated the relationship between attitudes toward OCD and intentions to share OCD awareness, as well as information seeking efficacy and intentions to share OCD awareness.
This research compares communication technology (CT) use, job demands/resources, and burnout between remote workers in crisis and routine (non-crisis) contexts. Findings indicate that remote workers rely on CTs less frequently in routine contexts. Remote worker burnout levels were consistent across crisis and routine workers, but job demand and resource levels differed; compared to crisis remote workers, routine remote workers perceived higher role clarity, less work overload, and less coworker support. While no CT is significantly related to work overload or role clarity among routine remote workers, instant messaging (IM) is positively related to coworker support. IM also significantly related to lower burnout via coworker support. We relate findings to the affordance framework, demonstrating how remote workers have made sense of CTs and work processes.
As traditional news media continue to create and reinforce stigma through biased or sensationalized coverage, stigma remains a significant obstacle to mental health care. Prior research shows that news framing can shape public attitudes and beliefs. Building on this literature, this study examines news headline framing regarding college students' mental health prescription use, amid increasing rates of mental health difficulties. Results of the experiment found that even brief exposure to headline framing can significantly shape attitudes toward mental health prescriptions. Headlines emphasizing effectiveness led to more positive attitudes than mixed or controversy-framed headlines, and these attitudes were positively associated with behavioral intentions. Notably, personal stigma functioned as a key variable influencing credibility and attitudes.
