Elbarazi Iffat, Saddik Basema, Grivna Michal, Aziz Faisal, Elsori Deena, Stip Emmanuel, Bendak Enes
Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.
Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
J Multidiscip Healthc. 2022 Feb 22;15:289-307. doi: 10.2147/JMDH.S346930. eCollection 2022.
The COVID-19 pandemic created a crisis in the world of information and digital literacy. The amount of misinformation surrounding COVID-19 that has circulated through social media (SM) since January 2020 is notably significant and has been linked to rising levels of anxiety and fear amongst SM users.
This study aimed to assess SM practices during COVID-19 and investigated their impact on users' well-being.
An online survey was distributed between June 10 and July 31 2020 via different SM platforms in the United Arab Emirates and other Arabic-speaking countries. Adults above 18 years of age who spoke Arabic or English were invited to complete the survey which covered multiple domains, use and practices related to social media platforms and mental health questions, including the WHO-5 Well-Being Index.
Out of 993 participants, 73% were females, 76% were non-Emirati, 91% were university graduates, and 50% were employed in various occupations, of which 20% were health care professionals. Participants indicated that they acquired COVID-19 related information primarily from social media and messaging applications of which WhatsApp was the most used. Most participants reported sharing information after verification. The mean well-being score was 12.6 ±5.6, with 49% of participants reporting poor well-being (WHO-5 score <12.5). Adjusted linear regression showed that Facebook usage was negatively associated with well-being scores. Additionally, high time use was associated with poorer well-being. When adjusting for other factors, including low confidence in information around COVID-19 and poor knowledge overall, SM usage was significantly associated with poorer well-being.
The study sheds light on the use of SM during the pandemic and its impact on well-being throughout the novel coronavirus pandemic. Social media practices during emergencies and disasters may impact public well-being. Authorities are advised to step in to minimize the spread of misinformation and more frequent use of social media as it may influence well-being. Public health specialists, information technology and communication experts should collaborate to limit the infodemic effect on communities.
新冠疫情在信息与数字素养领域引发了一场危机。自2020年1月以来，社交媒体上传播的有关新冠疫情的错误信息数量显著，且与社交媒体用户焦虑和恐惧情绪的加剧有关。
本研究旨在评估新冠疫情期间的社交媒体使用情况，并调查其对用户幸福感的影响。
2020年6月10日至7月31日期间，通过阿拉伯联合酋长国和其他阿拉伯语国家的不同社交媒体平台开展了一项在线调查。邀请18岁以上讲阿拉伯语或英语的成年人完成该调查，调查涵盖多个领域，包括与社交媒体平台相关的使用和行为以及心理健康问题，其中包括世界卫生组织-5幸福指数。
在993名参与者中，73%为女性，76%为非阿联酋人，91%为大学毕业生，50%从事各种职业，其中20%为医疗保健专业人员。参与者表示，他们主要从社交媒体和即时通讯应用程序获取新冠疫情相关信息，其中WhatsApp的使用最为频繁。大多数参与者报告在核实信息后才分享。幸福感平均得分为12.6±5.6，49%的参与者报告幸福感较差（世界卫生组织-5得分<12.5）。调整后的线性回归显示，Facebook的使用与幸福感得分呈负相关。此外，高时长使用与较差的幸福感相关。在调整包括对新冠疫情相关信息信心不足和整体知识匮乏等其他因素后，社交媒体使用与较差的幸福感显著相关。
该研究揭示了疫情期间社交媒体的使用情况及其对整个新冠疫情期间幸福感的影响。紧急情况和灾难期间的社交媒体行为可能会影响公众幸福感。建议当局介入，尽量减少错误信息的传播，并减少社交媒体的频繁使用，因为这可能会影响幸福感。公共卫生专家、信息技术和通信专家应合作，限制信息疫情对社区的影响。
