Risk perception and information-seeking behavior during emergency: An exploratory study on COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh

Risk estimation in relation to anxiety and depression for low probability negative events

Foundational cognitive models propose that people with anxiety and depression show risk estimation bias, but most literature does not compute true risk estimation bias by comparing people's subjective risk estimates to their individualized reality (i.e., person-level objective risk). In a diverse community sample (N = 319), we calculated risk estimation bias by comparing people's subjective risk estimates for contracting COVID-19 to their individualized objective risk. Person-level objective risk was consistently low and did not differ across symptom levels, suggesting that for low probability negative events, people with greater symptoms show risk estimation bias that is driven by subjective risk estimates. Greater levels of anxiety, depression, and COVID-specific perseverative cognition separately predicted higher subjective risk estimates. In a model including COVID-specific perseverative cognition alongside anxiety and depression scores, the only significant predictor of subjective risk estimates was COVID-specific perseverative cognition, indicating that symptoms more closely tied to feared outcomes may more strongly influence risk estimation. Finally, subjective risk estimates predicted information-seeking behavior and eating when anxious, but did not significantly predict alcohol or marijuana use, drinking to cope, or information avoidance. Implications for clinical practitioners and future research are discussed.

The Media-Mediated Model of Information Seeking Behavior: A Proposed Framework in the Chinese Culture During the COVID Pandemic

This study aims to unravel the key determinants of individuals' information seeking behavior during health crises. It challenges conventional perspectives that solely emphasize individual experiences. It also undermines frameworks that draw direct parallels between individual experiences and media factors, disregarding the mediating role of media. Models like the Comprehensive Model of Information Seeking (CMIS) also have limitations as they prioritize media mediation over recognizing the direct impacts of individual experiences on information seeking behaviors. We hereby propose a framework, the Media-Mediated Model of Information Seeking Behavior, that sheds light on the interplay between individual and media experiences. Analysis of survey data involving 5,469 participants in three Chinese societies, including mainland China (n = 2,067), Hong Kong (n = 1,913), and Taiwan (n = 1,489), reveals that individual experiences have both direct and indirect effects on information seeking, mediated by media utility. Experience of symptoms and risk perception depend on people's perceptions of the utility of media, while efficacy and media trust directly influence information seeking behaviors. These findings contribute to theoretical understanding and offer practical guidelines. Public institutions and health promoters can leverage media platforms to shape people's perceptions of health issues and encourage active information behaviors. It is also crucial to prioritize cultivating public trust in media and efficacy during crises.

Misinformation, Risk Perceptions, and Intention to Seek Information About Masks: The Moderating Roles of Gender and Reflective Judgment

The current study has three main purposes: to examine 1) the impact of theory-driven corrective messages using individual vs. collective frames on information-seeking intention 2) the mediating role of risk perceptions and 3) the moderating role of reflection and gender. Our findings from a randomized experimental study and Hayes' moderated, moderated mediation model show collective frames were associated with high-risk perceptions among women, which in turn led to higher information seeking intention. The second moderator reveals that people who scored higher on reflection were more willing to seek information. Our findings have critical implications for misinformation research by demonstrating the importance of theoretically driven messages in understanding misperceptions as well as people's information seeking behavior.

Estimating the Influence of Adolescents' Non-Cognitive Skills on Awareness of Social Disaster Responses

BACKGROUND

This study examines the influence of 2 noncognitive skills, self-esteem and teamwork, on social disaster response awareness among Korean adolescents. Although self-esteem is a well-established predictor of health-related knowledge, the inclusion of teamwork in this study is motivated by its collective nature and its relevance to social norms.

METHODS

This study used data from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey 2018 (KCYPS 2018). Sibling fixed effects models, which account for the common unobserved characteristics shared by siblings within the same family, were estimated.

RESULTS

Conventional ordinary least square models showed that both self-esteem and teamwork are significant predictors of social disaster response awareness (bs = .011 and .014, respectively). However, our preferred sibling fixed effects estimates revealed that the controlling for unobserved family-level confounders attenuates the association for self-esteem, rendering it statistically insignificant (b = .003, p = .33). Despite some attenuation, the association between teamwork and social disaster response awareness was robust to controlling for sibling fixed effects (b = .010, p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

The study's finding emphasizes the role of students' interpersonal noncognitive abilities in their social disaster response awareness. An intervention aimed at enhancing adolescents' teamwork may be effective to improve their awareness about how to respond to social disasters. Policymakers and practitioners may consider developing social disaster preparedness curricula that highlight the importance of social disaster response measures as community rules or social norms, in addition to safeguarding personal safety.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) on COVID-19 among the general population in most affected districts of Nepal

The COVID-19 pandemic has become one of the global health challenges in the current context. In Nepal, the first confirmed case was reported on 23 January 2020, and since then, it has resulted in several negative impacts, including economic disruption and deterioration of physical and mental health. In such a pandemic, it is indispensable to understand the knowledge and behavioral patterns of the general population regarding COVID-19. Therefore, our study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices on COVID-19 among the general population in most affected districts and its relationship with socio-demographic conditions. The cross-sectional study was conducted among the general population above the age of 18 years from eight districts of Nepal including Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, Morang, Sunsari, Rupandehi, Chitwan, and Kaski. A convenient non-probability sampling method was considered with total sample size of 702. The questionnaire survey was conducted to collect data. Descriptive statistics, non-parametric statistical tests, and a logistic regression model were used for analysis. The study showed that 93.3% of respondents had knowledge of overall preventive practices, whereas only 32% had knowledge of overall symptoms of COVID-19. Regarding attitudes, only 14.3% strongly believed that the COVID-19 pandemic would end soon. The preventive practice was reduced after the lockdown compared to that of during the lockdown. The respondents with white-collar occupations, high-income, and unmarried were good at KAP. Similarly, highly educated and those residing in urban areas had good knowledge and practice. The study findings will help in the development of targeted programs to improve the general population's knowledge, attitudes and practices on COVID-19, which is paramount to dealing with the existing pandemic and also such possible future waves of the pandemic.

Coronavirus disease 2019 information-seeking behavior globally: a systematic review

Objective

This systematic review aimed to provide a global picture of information-seeking behavior, source information used, and its associated factors.

Methods

This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses steps. Databases such as PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, EMBASE, World Health Organization libraries, and Google Scholar were used to search all published articles. Articles on COVID-19 information-seeking behavior published until November 04, 2021, and the use of the English language was included. Two independent reviewers did the article selection and quality check.

Results

For this systematic review, twenty articles were included in the final report. Information-seeking behavior was associated with digital health literacy, online information sources, and socio-demographic factors. The major sources of health information during the COVID-19 pandemic were digital media, television, public health portals like the world health organization, and center for communicable disease and prevention websites.

Conclusion

This systematic review provides a valuable overview of available information on information-seeking behavior regarding COVID-19 globally. The studies used a heterogeneous study population, various research techniques, and various research questions. Digital literacy and online information sources play a vital role in information-seeking behavior.

The Impact of Information About COVID-19 on the Endocrine Stress System and Cognitive Distortions

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is one of the major health concerns worldwide affecting not only human physical health but also contributing to the development of many mental disorders including impairment of the cognitive function. It is highly conceivable that elevation of the stress hormones, i.e., glucocorticoids and catecholamines, due to the infection, as well as the presence of psychosocial stressors, such as COVID-19 information, play a critical role in the development of these disorders. In the present study, the potential impact of exposure to COVID-19 information on the cognitive distortion and stress levels was analyzed in a population of 32 first-year medical sciences students using the stress assessment questionnaire (SAQ) and the posttraumatic cognitions inventory (PTCI) surveys. Both surveys demonstrated no acute change in the stress and post-traumatic cognition levels between medical sciences students who were either exposed or not to information about COVID-19. Interestingly, analysis of the stress and cognition points across the first and second measurements of the SAQ categories revealed a significant change in the control group but not in the experimental group. In addition, there was no significant difference among groups when considering the time*group factor. To conclude, we found that exposure to information about COVID-19 did not contribute acutely to cognitive distortion and stress levels among participating students. The previous exposure to COVID-19-related information from media and living during the COVID-19 pandemic era might have enhanced the awareness of the students to the situation.

The moderating role of informatization between country risks and international tourism: A cross-country panel analysis

Informatization plays an increasingly important role in the tourism industry, while its effectiveness in alleviating tourism risks remains to be verified. This research aims to explore the effects of country risks on the international tourism and the moderating role of informatization between the two. This study firstly measures country risks based on the ICRG database, quantifies international tourism by tourism revenue, tourism expenditure, and tourist arrival, and calculates informatization level from informatization facilities, informatization applications, and informatization skills. A dynamic SYS-GMM model is then adopted to verify the research hypotheses based on the panel data of 138 countries from 2000 to 2019. The research results show that the composite country risk, political risk, economic risk, and financial risk all show a negative impact on the international tourism indicators regardless of different time periods, regions, or income levels. However, the effects are more obvious before the global financial crisis in 2008 and regions and countries with lower income levels. In addition, informatization is found to positively mitigate the adverse impacts of country risks on international tourism, especially for economic and financial risks. The research findings indicate the risk hedge potential of informatization in the tourism industry, which provides a profound reference for destination risk management.

Mapping the Global Evolution and Research Directions of Information Seeking, Sharing and Communication in Disasters: A Bibliometric Study

This paper aims to grasp developments and trends in research on information communication, information seeking and information sharing in disasters during 2000-2021. By using bibliometrics software CiteSpace and VOSviewer, the development trends of publications, disciplinary, journals, institutions and regional cooperation are mapped. Keyword co-occurrence analysis is used to further identify the evolution of the research hot points and visualize the research orientation and frontier. The results indicate that the field of information communication in disasters has received growing attention from various disciplines. Results of institutions and regional cooperation show that worldwide cooperation is still lacking and needs to be strengthened in future studies in this field. The key findings are five main research orientations in this field based on keyword co-occurrence, which are public information coordination research, public information behavior and perception research, health information communication research, risk communication and social media research and information technology in emergency management. The findings of this paper can be helpful for academics and emergency managers in disaster information management and risk communication by giving them a comprehensive understanding of people's information communication, seeking and sharing.

Understanding social media users' engagement intention toward emergency information: the role of experience and information usefulness in a reciprocity framework

Purpose

The aim of this study is to investigate how social media users' experience of seeking emergency information affects their engagement intention toward emergency information with a reciprocity framework integrated with information adoption model.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on reciprocity theory, indebtedness theory, and information adoption model, an integrative research model is developed. This study employs a questionnaire survey to collect data of 325 social media users in China. Structural equation modeling analyses are conducted to test the proposed theoretical model.

Findings

Social media users' experience of seeking emergency information has a strong effect on their perceived information usefulness and indebtedness, while perceived information usefulness further influences community norm, indebtedness, and engagement intention. The authors also found that perceived information usefulness mediates the relationships between experience of seeking emergency information and community norm/indebtedness.

Originality/value

This study offers a new perspective to explain social media users' engagement intention in the diffusion of emergency information. This study contributes to the literature by extending the theoretical framework of reciprocity and applying it to the context of emergency information diffusion. The findings of this study could benefit the practitioners who wish to leverage social media tools for emergency response purposes.

The influence of pessimism on adverse network behavior during COVID-19: the mediating effect of negative affect and risk perception

There had been an information epidemic during the COVID-19, which led to a lot of adverse network behavior among Internet users. From the perspective of cognition and emotion, this study focused on exploring the influence mechanism of pessimism on undergraduates' adverse network behavior, and introduced the mediating variable of negative affect and risk perception. In this study, a cross-sectional questionnaire was used to evaluate pessimism, negative affect, risk perception and adverse network behavior of undergraduates to explore the characteristics of network behaviors of undergraduates during the COVID-19. 600 undergraduates from three universities in a city in China were selected as participants, among whom 312 students are female and 288 students are male. The results are as follows: (1) Pessimism is positively correlated with adverse network behavior, and pessimism has a significant positive effect on adverse network behavior. (2) Pessimism is positively correlated with negative affect, and negative affect is positively correlated with adverse network behavior. The mediating effect analysis shows that the mediating effect of negative affect on the relationship between pessimistic personality and adverse network behavior has statistical significance. (3) Pessimism is positively correlated with risk perception and risk perception is positively correlated with adverse network behavior. The mediating effect analysis shows that the mediating effect of risk perception on the relationship between pessimistic personality and adverse network behavior has statistical significance.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-022-03584-z.

Mental Health Condition among University Students of Bangladesh during the Critical COVID-19 Period

Bangladesh's education sector has been in a state of flux since COVID-19. During the pandemic, all university campuses were closed. There was a mental health issue among the students. This study aims to examine the mental health condition and the determinants that contribute to adverse mental health conditions among university students of Bangladesh. A survey was performed online among university students in Bangladesh, in mid-June 2020 when averaging 3345 affected cases of the population daily. The convenience sampling technique was used and the survey gathered data from 365 university students. The relationship between general information and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21) subscales of university students was determined. The questionnaire was administered to respondents during the pandemic, which ensured fast replies. Linear regression models were used for statistical analysis. University students indicated normal levels of depression (30.41%), anxiety (43.29%), and stress (47.40%). However, a disproportionate number of extremely depressed, anxious, and stressed university students suggested a mental health status of concern. There were significant connections between the individual's opinion of social satisfaction, mental health concerns, and the present location's safety with an undesirable mental health condition. Female students were shown to be much more anxious and stressed than male students. Capital Dhaka city students were more depressed and anxious than students outside of Dhaka. Financial and psychological support for students may help mitigate the psychological impact. Authorities should make effective efforts to reduce mental health problems among these students. This research may aid organizations, health care providers, and social workers in their attempts to prepare for and respond to pandemics.

The Effects of Information-Seeking Behaviors on Risk Perception During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Correlational Survey

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus represents an ongoing public health challenge that necessitates a heightened need to understand people's risk perceptions as well as their information-seeking behavior.

Objective

The aim of this study is to explore the impact of different information-seeking behaviors on people's risk perceptions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

We employed convenience sampling in order to administer questionnaires to 3048 residents in Hunan Province, China. After screening the questionnaires for inclusion in the study, multiple linear regressions were then used to analyze the impact of the characteristics of respondents' information-seeking behavior on their risk perceptions.

Results

From the 3048 distributed 2611 were included. New media (80.20%) was the most frequently used source of information seeking, and traditional media were participants' most trusted source of COVID-19 information. Statistics of COVID-19 were the type of information most frequently queried by respondents, and approximately 30.0% of them reported that most or all of the COVID-19 information they sought was negative. Approximately one in five respondents reported that they sought COVID-19 information more than 10 times per day. The results of our multivariate linear regression analysis showed that "seeking information from new media ", "level of trust in new media and local propaganda", "information content being about protective behaviors and personal related information", "proportion of negative information", and "frequency of information seeking" were positively associated, and "seeking information from traditional media" and "level of trust in traditional media" were negatively associated with people's risk perception of COVID-19.

Conclusion

We find that specific types of channels of information acquisition and public trust in these information channels, their informational content, and proportion of negative information, as well as a frequency of information seeking all had an impact on risk perception during COVID-19.

Spatiotemporal disparities in regional public risk perception of COVID-19 using Bayesian Spatiotemporally Varying Coefficients (STVC) series models across Chinese cities

Regional public attention has been critical during the COVID-19 pandemic, impacting the effectiveness of sub-national non-pharmaceutical interventions. While studies have focused on public attention at the national level, sub-national public attention has not been well investigated. Understanding sub-national public attention can aid local governments in designing regional scientific guidelines, especially in large countries with substantial spatiotemporal disparities in the spread of infections. Here, we evaluated the online public attention to the COVID-19 pandemic using internet search data and developed a regional public risk perception index (PRPI) that depicts heterogeneous associations between local pandemic risk and public attention across 366 Chinese cities. We used the Bayesian Spatiotemporally Varying Coefficients (STVC) model, a full-map local regression for estimating spatiotemporal heterogeneous relationships of variables, and improved it to the Bayesian Spatiotemporally Interacting Varying Coefficients (STIVC) model to incorporate space-time interaction non-stationarity at spatial or temporal stratified scales. COVID-19 daily cases (median contribution 82.6%) was the most critical factor affecting public attention, followed by urban socioeconomic conditions (16.7%) and daily population mobility (0.7%). After adjusting national and provincial impacts, city-level influence factors accounted for 89.4% and 58.6% in spatiotemporal variations of public attention. Spatiotemporal disparities were substantial among cities and provinces, suggesting that observing national-level public dynamics alone was insufficient. Multi-period PRPI maps revealed clusters and outlier cities with potential public panic and low health literacy. Bayesian STVC series models are systematically proposed and provide a multi-level spatiotemporal heterogeneous analytical framework for understanding collective human responses to major public health emergencies and disasters.

Reading habits of medical practitioners: Young doctors in Pakistan, a case study

Objective

This study attempted to investigate the reading preferences and habits among young Pakistani medical doctors. The reading time, preferred source of information, preferred medical journals, and ways of reading medical journals were explored.

Methods

A survey approach was used for data collection. The study participants were young medical professionals in Pakistan. An online survey was sent to more than 300 individuals through various physicians and their professional groups/bodies. A total of 155 responded to the questionnaire, and 128 of the questionnaires were considered worthy of data analysis.

Results

Among respondents, 40% read printed journals, 49% read online journals, 60% read case reports, and 55% read newspapers for 1–5 h per week. Continuing medical education was the preferred source of information, and the Pakistan Journal of Cardiology & Thoracic Surgery was the preferred medical journal. Reading the abstract and the conclusion was the preferred way of reading journal articles.

Conclusion

Young physicians are enthusiastic in participating in research activities and spending time gaining updated information. Physicians read articles methodically. Online sources of information are preferred over printed sources.

Factors associated with the risk perception of COVID-19 infection and severe illness: A cross-sectional study in Japan

Understanding COVID-19 risk perception may help inform public health messaging aimed at encouraging preventive measures and improving countermeasures against the pandemic. We conducted an online survey of 29,708 Japanese adults in February 2021 and estimated the associations between COVID-19 risk perception and a broad array of individual factors. Two logistic regressions were constructed to estimate factors associated with the risk perception of COVID-19 (defined as responding that one might become infected within the next 6 months), and of severe illness among those who responded that they might become infected (defined as responding that one would become severely ill). After adjusting for covariates, those with a higher perceived risk of the COVID-19 vaccine had higher odds of risk perception for both infection and severe illness. Interestingly, those with higher odds of risk perception of being infected were more likely to report obtaining their information from healthcare workers whereas those with lower odds were more likely to report obtaining their information from the Internet or the government; those with lower odds of risk perception of being severely ill were more likely to report obtaining their information from the Internet. The higher the trust level in the government as a COVID-19 information source, the lower the odds of both risk perception of being infected and becoming severely ill. The higher the trust levels in social networking services as a COVID-19 information source, the higher the odds of risk perception of becoming severely ill. Public health messaging should address the factors identified in our study.

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Perceived risks of a COVID-19 vaccine was related to risk perception of COVID-19 infection and severe illness.

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Getting information from healthcare workers was related to higher risk perception of infection.

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Higher trust in SNS was related to higher risk perception of COVID-19 of severe illness.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices towards Dengue Fever among University Students of Dhaka City, Bangladesh

Dhaka has become the worst affected city in Bangladesh regarding dengue fever (DF). A large number of university students are residing in this city with a high DF risk. This cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the DF status and responses among these students through their Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) survey. A total of 625 students participated in an online self-reported survey. Statistical analyses were performed to assess the status and KAP regarding DF. University students from the city perceived their living places as moderately safe (45.28%) against DF, whereas about 20% reported their DF infection history. Some of these students had exemplary DF knowledge (66.72%), attitude (89.28%), and practices (68.32%). However, many of them were also observed with a lack of knowledge about this disease’s infectious behavior, recognizing Aedes mosquito breeding sites, multiple infection cases, and the risk of DF viral infection during pregnancy. Fair correlations (p < 0.001) were determined in the KAP domain. Gender, residential unit, major, and dengue-relevant subjects were found to be significant predictors (p < 0.05) of KAP level in the univariate analysis. Major subject and residential units remained significant predictors of overall KAP level in further multiple analysis. This study revealed the urgency of infectious disease-related subjects and the relevant demonstration into the university curriculum. The study’s findings can assist the university, government and non-governmental organizations, and the health and social workers to prepare a comprehensive dengue response and preparedness plan.

The role of government risk communication in public health emergencies: evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic

Purpose

During the COVID-19 pandemic, government risk communication to the public was among the critical works, as the governments had to fight two enemies at once: the pandemic itself and the infodemic surrounding the COVID-19. Government risk communication could provide the public with prompt and accurate information as well as eliminate fake news, rumors and misinformation, thereby raising the public’s knowledge and risk perception and, thus, shaping their compliance with the government’s advices and directives. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of government risk communication through mass media on the public’s knowledge, risk perception and compliance with safety measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design/methodology/approach

The ordinary least square and probit regression models were used for analyzing data collected from citizens living in Vietnam during the COVID-19 social distancing.

Findings

The results of this paper show that government risk communication enhances the public’s knowledge of the COVID-19 and raises their risk perception of the virus. In addition, government risk communication is found to shape the public’s compliance with most safety measures.

Practical implications

This paper offers practical implications for containing a pandemic (especially in the context that vaccines are unavailable or insufficient) by emphasizing the role of government risk communication.

Originality/value

This paper is among the first attempts that examine the role of government risk communication through mass media in enhancing the public’s knowledge, their risk perception and their compliance with safety measures during a pandemic.

Ageing Perception as a Key Predictor of Self-Rated Health by Rural Older People—A Study with Gender and Inclusive Perspectives

This paper investigates positive perceptions of ageing in rural people aged 65 and over as a key predictor of the self-assessment of one’s health. Method: The sample covers a total of 3389 people from the ‘Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement’ (SHARE), wave 6 (W6, 2015). This research analyses men and women who live in a rural environment. A linear regression model is proposed to consider the dependent variable ‘self-rated health’ and independent variables based on measures of quality of life in older adults. This study confirms that rural women perceive their health on the basis of factors different to those of their male contemporaries. The variable ‘How often do you feel/think that you can do the things that you want to do?’ is associated with women’s self-perceived health. In men, a high relationship (with p < 0.001) is obtained for the variables ‘How often do you feel/think look back on your life with a sense of happiness?’ and ‘How often do you feel/think that family responsibilities prevent you from doing what you want to do?’ Certain daily activities (e.g., leisure or care), along with a positive perception of life, influence one’s perceptions of one’s own health, especially in the case of women. In sum, rural older women make a positive evaluation of their own health and ageing, while rural older men relate self-rated health to passivity and reminiscing. There is a need for further research on psycho-social and socio-spatial issues from an intergenerational, technological and gender perspective for rural and territorial influences to attain better health and quality of life for rural older people in comparison to urban people.

Association between Perceived Trusted of COVID-19 Information Sources and Mental Health during the Early Stage of the Pandemic in Bangladesh

Unverified information concerning COVID-19 can affect mental health. Understanding perceived trust in information sources and associated mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic is vital to ensure ongoing media coverage of the crisis does not exacerbate mental health impacts. A number of studies have been conducted in other parts of the world to determine associations between information exposure relating to COVID-19 and mental health. However, the mechanism by which trust in information sources may affect mental health is not fully explained in the developing country context. To address this issue, the present study examined associations between perceived trust in three sources of information concerning COVID-19 and anxiety/stress with the mediating effects of COVID-19 stress in Bangladesh. An online cross-sectional study was conducted with 744 Bangladeshi adults between 17 April and 1 May 2020. Perceived trust in traditional, social, and health media for COVID-19 information, demographics, frontline service status, COVID-19-related stressors, anxiety (GAD-7), and stress (PSS-4) were assessed via self-report. Linear regression tested for associations between perceived trust and mental health. Mediation analyses investigated whether COVID-19-related stressors affected perceived trust and mental health associations. In fully adjusted models, more trust in social media was associated with more anxiety (B = 0.03, CI = 0.27-0.97) and stress (B = 0.01, CI = -0.34-0.47), while more trust in traditional media was associated with more anxiety (B = 0.09, CI = 0.17-2.26) but less stress (B = -0.08, CI = -0.89-0.03). Mediation analyses showed that COVID-19-related stressors partially explained associations between perceived trust and anxiety. These findings suggest that trusting social media to provide accurate COVID-19 information may exacerbate poor mental health. These findings also indicate that trusting traditional media (i.e., television, radio, and the newspaper) may have stress-buffering effects. We recommend that responsible authorities call attention to concerns about the trustworthiness of social media as well as broadcast positive and authentic news in traditional media outcomes based on these results.