Exposure to the COVID-19 news on social media and consequent psychological distress and potential behavioral change
Abstract Exposure to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) news pandemic is inevitable. This study aimed to explore the association between exposure to COVID-19 news on social media and feeling of anxiety, fear, and potential opportunities for behavioral change among Iranians. A telephone-based survey...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-42459-6 |
| _version_ | 1797452878797864960 |
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| author | Ali Montazeri Samira Mohammadi Parisa M.Hesari Hossein Yarmohammadi Mehdi Rafiei Bahabadi Fatemeh Naghizadeh Moghari Farzaneh Maftoon Mahmoud Tavousi Hedyeh Riazi |
| author_facet | Ali Montazeri Samira Mohammadi Parisa M.Hesari Hossein Yarmohammadi Mehdi Rafiei Bahabadi Fatemeh Naghizadeh Moghari Farzaneh Maftoon Mahmoud Tavousi Hedyeh Riazi |
| author_sort | Ali Montazeri |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Exposure to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) news pandemic is inevitable. This study aimed to explore the association between exposure to COVID-19 news on social media and feeling of anxiety, fear, and potential opportunities for behavioral change among Iranians. A telephone-based survey was carried out in 2020. Adults aged 18 years and above were randomly selected. A self-designed questionnaire was administered to collect information on demographic variables and questions to address exposure to news and psychological and behavioral responses regarding COVID-19. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between anxiety, fear, behavioral responses, and independent variables, including exposure to news. In all, 1563 adults participated in the study. The mean age of respondents was 39.17 ± 13.5 years. Almost 55% of participants reported moderate to high-level anxiety, while fear of being affected by COVID-19 was reported 54.1%. Overall 88% reported that they had changed their behaviors to some extent. Exposure to the COVID-19 news on social media was the most influencing variable on anxiety (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.62–3.04; P < 0.0001), fear (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.49–2.56; P < 0.0001), and change in health behaviors (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.28–3.19; P = 0.003) in the regression model. The fear of being infected by the COVID19 was associated with the female gender and some socioeconomic characteristics. Although exposure to the COVID-19 news on social media seemed to be associated with excess anxiety and fear, it also, to some extent, had positively changed people’s health behaviors towards preventive measures. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:15:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d3bdebea691e47db863bfd1c77f4d063 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:15:02Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-d3bdebea691e47db863bfd1c77f4d0632023-11-26T13:08:54ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-09-0113111010.1038/s41598-023-42459-6Exposure to the COVID-19 news on social media and consequent psychological distress and potential behavioral changeAli Montazeri0Samira Mohammadi1Parisa M.Hesari2Hossein Yarmohammadi3Mehdi Rafiei Bahabadi4Fatemeh Naghizadeh Moghari5Farzaneh Maftoon6Mahmoud Tavousi7Hedyeh Riazi8Health Metrics Research Centre, Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research, ACECRHealth Metrics Research Centre, Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research, ACECRDepartment of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western UniversityHealth Metrics Research Centre, Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research, ACECRIranian Students’ Polling Agency (ISPA)Health Metrics Research Centre, Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research, ACECRHealth Metrics Research Centre, Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research, ACECRHealth Metrics Research Centre, Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research, ACECRSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical SciencesAbstract Exposure to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) news pandemic is inevitable. This study aimed to explore the association between exposure to COVID-19 news on social media and feeling of anxiety, fear, and potential opportunities for behavioral change among Iranians. A telephone-based survey was carried out in 2020. Adults aged 18 years and above were randomly selected. A self-designed questionnaire was administered to collect information on demographic variables and questions to address exposure to news and psychological and behavioral responses regarding COVID-19. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the relationship between anxiety, fear, behavioral responses, and independent variables, including exposure to news. In all, 1563 adults participated in the study. The mean age of respondents was 39.17 ± 13.5 years. Almost 55% of participants reported moderate to high-level anxiety, while fear of being affected by COVID-19 was reported 54.1%. Overall 88% reported that they had changed their behaviors to some extent. Exposure to the COVID-19 news on social media was the most influencing variable on anxiety (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.62–3.04; P < 0.0001), fear (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.49–2.56; P < 0.0001), and change in health behaviors (OR 2.02, 95% CI 1.28–3.19; P = 0.003) in the regression model. The fear of being infected by the COVID19 was associated with the female gender and some socioeconomic characteristics. Although exposure to the COVID-19 news on social media seemed to be associated with excess anxiety and fear, it also, to some extent, had positively changed people’s health behaviors towards preventive measures.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-42459-6 |
| spellingShingle | Ali Montazeri Samira Mohammadi Parisa M.Hesari Hossein Yarmohammadi Mehdi Rafiei Bahabadi Fatemeh Naghizadeh Moghari Farzaneh Maftoon Mahmoud Tavousi Hedyeh Riazi Exposure to the COVID-19 news on social media and consequent psychological distress and potential behavioral change Scientific Reports |
| title | Exposure to the COVID-19 news on social media and consequent psychological distress and potential behavioral change |
| title_full | Exposure to the COVID-19 news on social media and consequent psychological distress and potential behavioral change |
| title_fullStr | Exposure to the COVID-19 news on social media and consequent psychological distress and potential behavioral change |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exposure to the COVID-19 news on social media and consequent psychological distress and potential behavioral change |
| title_short | Exposure to the COVID-19 news on social media and consequent psychological distress and potential behavioral change |
| title_sort | exposure to the covid 19 news on social media and consequent psychological distress and potential behavioral change |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-42459-6 |
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