Technostress and Psychological Health Conditions among University Students: The Mediating Role of Academic Motivation

Introduction Research has well-recognized that the pandemic entailed several implications among university students globally in terms of increased use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), technostress, disruptions in academic goals and motivation processes, and growing psychological disease. Responding to the new research need to go in-depth into the processes linking technostress and motivation dimensions to inform current research and interventions, the present study aimed to examine direct effects of perceived technostress dimensions (Techno-Overload, Work-Home Conflict, Pace of Change, Techno-Ease, Techno-Reliability, Techno-Sociality) and academic motivation dimensions (Amotivation, Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation dimensions) on students’ perceived levels of Anxiety and Depression, and to test the potential mediating role of Academic Motivation dimensions in the associations between technostress and psychological health conditions. Methods Participants were 1.541 students from five European countries (Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Serbia, United Kingdom) who were asked to complete a survey including a Background Information Form, the Technostress Scale, the Academic Motivation Scale-College, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Hayes’ PROCESS tool was used to test direct and mediating effects. Results Techno-Overload, Work-Home Conflict, Amotivation, and Extrinsic Motivation-Introjected had a direct detrimental role, whereas Techno-Ease, Techno-Reliability, Techno-Sociality, all Intrinsic Motivation dimensions and Extrinsic Motivation-Identified had a direct protective role for students’ psychological health. Academic Motivation dimensions significantly mediated the associations between Technostress dimensions and Anxiety/Depression. Conclusion Findings allow gaining insight into the pathways of relationships between technostress, motivation, and psychological health, to be used in the current post-emergency phase, featured by the restoration of face-to-face contacts, to inform the development of tailored research and interventions which address lights and shadows of the technology use, and which take into account the necessity to enhance its potentials yet without impairing students’ motivation and psychological health.