How to cope with the negative health information avoidance behavior in a pandemic: the role of resilience

Abstract

ABSTRACT While social media has become an increasingly important channel for updating risk news and getting early warnings in the pandemic, it has also led to an information overload and misinformation which has been shown to trigger negative emotions and impact mental health. Emotional state and cognitive characteristics are crucial factors that contribute to information avoidance. In this paper, we integrate the S-S-O framework with Resilience Theory to explore the factors that influence health information avoidance and coping mechanisms during the pandemic. Our investigation reveals that perceived health information overload causes psychological strain, including health information anxiety and time pressure, which are associated with health information avoidance. Our findings also show that resilience is a significant inhibitor of the S-S-O chain. These insights have significant implications for improving pandemic management and promoting individuals’ resilience during public health emergencies.