Zhong Fuxiu, Gu Chenyu
Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery Nursing, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, China.
School of Journalism and Communication, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, China.
Front Psychol. 2024 Aug 16;15:1412515. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1412515. eCollection 2024.
In the digital media era, the prevalence of algorithm-driven content push has intensified the health information echo chambers phenomenon, characterized by excessive homogenization and overload of information. This phenomenon may negatively impact the older adults, a "digitally vulnerable" group, by limiting their access to diverse health information and potentially inducing health information avoidance behaviors. However, the psychological mechanisms within this impact process remain unclear, and this study aims to explore them. Additionally, current study introduces trait mindfulness as a potential intervention tool in reducing health information avoidance behavior among the older adults.
This study constructs an impact model based on the Stress-Coping Theory and the Stress-Strain-Outcome (SSO) framework. It identifies health information similarity, relevance, and overload as characteristics of the echo chamber, constituting the Stress part; information fatigue as the Strain; and health information avoidance as the Outcome, with trait mindfulness serving as a moderating factor between Strain and Outcome. A cross-sectional survey of 236 older adults individuals aged 60 and above was conducted, and the collected data were analyzed using SmartPLS and SPSS.
The study found that health information similarity and overload significantly increased health information fatigue among the older adults, thereby promoting avoidance behavior, but no significant correlation was found between relevance and fatigue. While there was no significant correlation between trait mindfulness and health information fatigue, it effectively moderated the avoidance behavior induced by fatigue.
Current study reveals the impact of the health information echo chamber phenomenon on health information avoidance behavior among the older adults and the moderating role of trait mindfulness. It emphasizes the importance of breaking the health information echo chamber and promoting diverse information dissemination to improve the health information behavior of the older adults. Furthermore, the moderating role of trait mindfulness demonstrates positive intervention potential, providing the older adults with a psychological adjustment mechanism to accept and process health information with a more open attitude, thereby reducing unproductive avoidance behavior.
在数字媒体时代，算法驱动的内容推送盛行，加剧了健康信息回音室现象，其特点是信息过度同质化和过载。这种现象可能会对老年人这一“数字弱势群体”产生负面影响，限制他们获取多样化的健康信息，并可能引发健康信息回避行为。然而，这一影响过程中的心理机制尚不清楚，本研究旨在对此进行探索。此外，本研究引入特质正念作为一种潜在的干预工具，以减少老年人的健康信息回避行为。
本研究基于压力应对理论和压力-应变-结果（SSO）框架构建了一个影响模型。它将健康信息的相似性、相关性和过载确定为回音室的特征，构成压力部分；信息疲劳作为应变；健康信息回避作为结果，特质正念作为应变与结果之间的调节因素。对236名60岁及以上的老年人进行了横断面调查，并使用SmartPLS和SPSS对收集到的数据进行了分析。
研究发现，健康信息的相似性和过载显著增加了老年人的健康信息疲劳，从而促进了回避行为，但相关性与疲劳之间未发现显著相关性。虽然特质正念与健康信息疲劳之间没有显著相关性，但它有效地调节了由疲劳引起的回避行为。
本研究揭示了健康信息回音室现象对老年人健康信息回避行为的影响以及特质正念的调节作用。它强调了打破健康信息回音室和促进信息多样化传播以改善老年人健康信息行为的重要性。此外，特质正念的调节作用显示出积极的干预潜力，为老年人提供了一种心理调节机制，使他们能够以更开放的态度接受和处理健康信息，从而减少无效的回避行为。
