Zoom Fatigue, Psychological Distress, Life Satisfaction, and Academic Well-Being

Abstract

Little is known about the psychological consequences of the recently increased utilization of videoconferencing, which has enabled life to proceed as close to normal as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. To understand the psychological consequences of this recent global lifestyle change in different populations, the psychometric validation of the Zoom Exhaustion and Fatigue Scale (ZEFS) and the relationship of this construct with academic well-being, mental well-being, and life satisfaction are presented. In a sample of 470 Turkish university students (57 percent female, M-age = 20.26 +/- 2.18, ranging between 18 and 33 years), first-order and second-order confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the construct validity of the scale, and the item response theory results yielded appropriate item difficulty and discrimination. ZEFS scores were significantly and positively associated with anxiety, depression, and stress, and negatively associated with life satisfaction and academic well-being, supporting the scale's concurrent validity. Incremental validity was shown with mediational models demonstrating significant and separate indirect effects of Zoom exhaustion and fatigue on life satisfaction and academic well-being, both mediated by psychological distress. The results suggest ZEFS to be a valid and reliable tool to evaluate the psychological consequences of videoconferencing, which has globally increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, in non-Western samples. By showing the relationships of Zoom exhaustion and fatigue with psychological distress, life satisfaction, and academic well-being, the present study highlights potential avenues to be addressed to protect the mental well-being of all individuals who have integrated videoconferencing as part of their daily lives.