Lu Linqi, Liu Jiawei, Yuan Y Connie, Lu Enze, Li Dongxiao
School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Department of Communication, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
PEC Innov. 2022 Dec;1:100035. doi: 10.1016/j.pecinn.2022.100035. Epub 2022 Mar 29.
This study investigates the psychological mechanisms underlying people's sharing of COVID-19 information within their strong-tie networks and weak-tie networks.
A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between March and April 2020 ( = 609 Chinese adults). Measures included emotions and behavioral beliefs about COVID-19 information sharing, risk perceptions, and COVID-19 information acquisition and sharing behaviors. Multiple linear regression was performed to examine the psychological predictors of COVID-19 information sharing.
People were more likely to share COVID-19 information within their strong-tie networks when they experienced more negative emotions ( .09, .01) and had stronger beliefs that information sharing would promote disease prevention ( .12, .004). By comparison, negative emotions were the only significant predictor of COVID-19 information sharing ( .12, .002) within weak-tie networks ( .04, .31 for beliefs about sharing).
People may share COVID-19 information within weak-tie networks to cope with negative emotions regardless of whether they perceive information sharing as beneficial to disease prevention.
Health educators should raise people's awareness of the psychological motivators of COVID-19 information sharing to create a healthy information environment for disease prevention.
本研究调查了人们在强关系网络和弱关系网络中分享新冠疫情信息背后的心理机制。
于2020年3月至4月进行了一项横断面在线调查（n = 609名中国成年人）。测量内容包括对新冠疫情信息分享的情绪和行为信念、风险认知以及新冠疫情信息获取和分享行为。采用多元线性回归分析来检验新冠疫情信息分享的心理预测因素。
当人们体验到更多负面情绪（β = 0.09，p = 0.01）且更坚信信息分享能促进疾病预防时（β = 0.12，p = 0.004），他们更有可能在强关系网络中分享新冠疫情信息。相比之下，负面情绪是弱关系网络中新冠疫情信息分享的唯一显著预测因素（β = 0.12，p = 0.002）（分享信念的β = 0.04，p = 0.31）。
人们可能会在弱关系网络中分享新冠疫情信息以应对负面情绪，而不管他们是否认为信息分享对疾病预防有益。
健康教育工作者应提高人们对新冠疫情信息分享心理动机的认识，以营造有利于疾病预防的健康信息环境。
