Background: The COVID-19 outbreak is no longer a pure epidemiological concern but a true digital infodemic. Numerous conflicting information and misinformation occupy online platforms and specifically social media. While we have lived in an infodemic environment for more than 2 years, we are more prone to feel overwhelmed by the information and suffer from long-term mental health problems. However, limited research has concentrated on the cause of these threats, particularly in terms of information processing and the context of infodemic.
Objective: This study proposed and tested moderated mediation pathways from two types of health information behaviors (social media engagement and interpersonal communication) on information overload and mental health symptoms-long-term stress.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey between May and June of 2021 among the Malaysian public. The final sample size was 676 ( = 676). A conceptual model was built to guide the data analysis. We conducted structural equation modeling (SEM), moderation and mediation analyses to examine each direct pathway, moderating and mediating effects.
Results: According to the pathway analysis, we found that, during the infodemic period, engaging COVID-19 information on social media positively associated with information overload, but interpersonal communication was negatively related to it. As the proximal outcome, there was also a positive association between information overload and the final outcome, perceived stress. The moderation analysis only reported one significant interaction: risk perception weakened the association between social media engagement and information overload. A conditional indirect effect was demonstrated and the indirect associated between social media engagement and perceived stress mediated through information overload was further moderated by COVID-19 risk perception.
Conclusion: This research offers new grounds for understanding health information behaviors and their consequences in the COVID-19 infodemic. We particularly highlighted the distinct functions of health information behaviors in causing information overload, as well as the importance of personal health belief in this process. Our proposed model contributes to the strategies of developing health messaging strategies that may be utilized by public health researchers and health educators in the future.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.924331 | DOI Listing |
Risk Anal
January 2025
School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
Communication research on scientific issues has traditionally relied on the deficit model, which posits that increasing scientific knowledge leads to public acceptance. However, this model's effectiveness is questioned due to inconclusive impacts of knowledge on acceptance. To address this, we propose a dual-process framework combining the deficit model (with scientific knowledge as a key predictor) and a normative opinion process model (where perceived majority opinion plays a crucial role) to predict people's risk/benefit perceptions and their support for genetic modification (GM).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Res Notes
January 2025
Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, School of Biology and Institute of Biological Sciences, Damghan University, Damghan, Iran.
Background And Objective: The coronavirus pandemic, with a wide range of clinical manifestations, is considered a serious emergency in increasing anxiety for vulnerable groups of young people such as students. The purpose of this study is to look into how COVID-19 affects depression and anxiety in students at Damghan University. It also aims to determine how non-pharmaceutical intervention (NPI) education affects COVID-19 anxiety and related aspects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Psychol
January 2025
Department of Health Policy&Management, Tabriz Health Services Management Research Center, School of Management and Medical Informatics, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Background: Mental disorders represent a significant global health concern, accounting for a substantial proportion of disabilities worldwide. Given its significance, it has consistently been a priority for health policy makers. The aim was to provide a comprehensive assessment of mental disorder-related policy events and related interventions in Iran.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRisk Anal
January 2025
School of Political Science and Public Administration, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
The unpredictability of the epidemics caused by new, unknown viruses, combined with differing responsibilities among government departments, often leads to a prisoner's dilemma in epidemic information governance. In this context, the whistle-blower effect in the health departments leads to delayed reporting to avoid potential retaliation, and the cry-wolf effect in the administrative departments results in sustained observation to avoid ineffective warnings. To address these challenges, we employ game theory to analyze the dynamics of epidemic information governance and focus on two external governance mechanisms-superior accountability and media supervision-that can help resolve the prisoner's dilemma during and after an outbreak.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Psychol (Amst)
January 2025
School of Public Affair, University of Science and Technology, China. Electronic address:
This study examines the interaction between spiritual leadership and employee proactive service performance in the competitive hospitality industry. Using social exchange theory (SET) and conservation of resources (COR) theory as frameworks, we propose a model where organizational identification and employee voice mediate the relationship between spiritual leadership and proactive service performance. Additionally, we explore how service climate moderates these mediating effects.
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