| Over the past two decades the availability and use of modern communication technology has rapidly expanded. With this expansion has come positive effects, including increased communication. Despite this ability, issues such as increased anxiety, antisocial behaviors, Internet addiction, and cyberbullying have arisen. Although research on these issues is being published at a rapid pace, there have been very few studies examining the implications of this technology on stress levels. Given the profound effect that stress can have on individuals, it was important to gain a better understanding of the relationship between stress levels and the use of modern communication technology.;The present study examined the relationship between stress levels, social connectedness, and the use of modern communication technology. Measures included the Global Measure of Perceived Stress-14 (Cohen, Kamarck, & Mermelstein, 1983), Social Connectedness Scale-Revised (Lee, Draper, & Lee, 2001, and, a measure developed for this study, the Modern Communication Technology Survey. One hundred and thirty undergraduate students were assessed using these measures. The overall sample demonstrated higher than moderate feelings of connectedness through the use of modern communication technology, lower than moderate levels of stress, and moderately high feelings of social connectedness. Findings indicated a strong relationship between stress levels and social connectedness, but not between the other factors. Women endorsed higher levels of stress in comparison to their male peers. Feelings of social connectedness and gender proved to be predictive of perceived stress levels. Although modern communication technology was not found to influence stress levels or social connectedness, the measure revealed a preference for text messaging over voice calling. |
