Pathway linking health information behaviors to mental health condition during the COVID-19 infodemic: a moderated mediation analysis
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...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
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Frontiers Media
2022
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| _version_ | 1825938747798061056 |
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| author | Zhang, Thomas Hongjie Tham, Jen Sern Waheed, Moniza Kim, Jeong-Nam Jeong, Jae-Seon Chang, Peng Kee Ahmad, Abdul Mua'ti@Zamri |
| author_facet | Zhang, Thomas Hongjie Tham, Jen Sern Waheed, Moniza Kim, Jeong-Nam Jeong, Jae-Seon Chang, Peng Kee Ahmad, Abdul Mua'ti@Zamri |
| author_sort | Zhang, Thomas Hongjie |
| collection | UPM |
| description | 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.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.We conducted a cross-sectional online survey between May and June of 2021 among the Malaysian public. The final sample size was 676 (<jats:italic>N</jats:italic> = 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.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.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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-25T03:36:49Z |
| format | Article |
| id | upm.eprints-102672 |
| institution | Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| last_indexed | 2024-09-25T03:36:49Z |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | upm.eprints-1026722024-06-29T14:18:18Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/102672/ Pathway linking health information behaviors to mental health condition during the COVID-19 infodemic: a moderated mediation analysis Zhang, Thomas Hongjie Tham, Jen Sern Waheed, Moniza Kim, Jeong-Nam Jeong, Jae-Seon Chang, Peng Kee Ahmad, Abdul Mua'ti@Zamri 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.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.We conducted a cross-sectional online survey between May and June of 2021 among the Malaysian public. The final sample size was 676 (<jats:italic>N</jats:italic> = 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.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.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. Frontiers Media 2022 Article PeerReviewed Zhang, Thomas Hongjie and Tham, Jen Sern and Waheed, Moniza and Kim, Jeong-Nam and Jeong, Jae-Seon and Chang, Peng Kee and Ahmad, Abdul Mua'ti@Zamri (2022) Pathway linking health information behaviors to mental health condition during the COVID-19 infodemic: a moderated mediation analysis. Frontiers, 10. pp. 1-12. ISSN 2296-2565 https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.924331/full 10.3389/fpubh.2022.924331 |
| spellingShingle | Zhang, Thomas Hongjie Tham, Jen Sern Waheed, Moniza Kim, Jeong-Nam Jeong, Jae-Seon Chang, Peng Kee Ahmad, Abdul Mua'ti@Zamri Pathway linking health information behaviors to mental health condition during the COVID-19 infodemic: a moderated mediation analysis |
| title | Pathway linking health information behaviors to mental health condition during the COVID-19 infodemic: a moderated mediation analysis |
| title_full | Pathway linking health information behaviors to mental health condition during the COVID-19 infodemic: a moderated mediation analysis |
| title_fullStr | Pathway linking health information behaviors to mental health condition during the COVID-19 infodemic: a moderated mediation analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pathway linking health information behaviors to mental health condition during the COVID-19 infodemic: a moderated mediation analysis |
| title_short | Pathway linking health information behaviors to mental health condition during the COVID-19 infodemic: a moderated mediation analysis |
| title_sort | pathway linking health information behaviors to mental health condition during the covid 19 infodemic a moderated mediation analysis |
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