IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v20y2023i2p1368-d1033005.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Protective and Overprotective Behaviors against COVID-19 Outbreak: Media Impact and Mediating Roles of Institutional Trust and Anxiety

Author

Listed:
  • Yi Liu

    (School of Media and Communication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China)

  • Cong Liu

    (School of Media and Communication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China)

Abstract

This study aims to explore how pandemic-related media use relates to both protective and overprotective behaviors and to probe the underlying mechanisms. The data were collected online during the early outbreak of COVID-19 in China, and a total of 1118 valid cases, which covered the 30 provincial administrative divisions in mainland China, were collected. Results showed that official government media use was positively associated with protective behaviors and institutional trust was an important mediator. Commercial media use was also found to be positively associated with overprotective behavior, and anxiety mediated this relationship. Findings of this study suggested that different media sources could play completely different roles. Institutional trust in government institutions and medical care systems were equally critical in translating the media effect into public compliance with the preventive measures advocated by the relevant departments. Media outlets and practitioners should also be responsible in order to avoid causing unnecessary anxiety among the public so as to reduce irrational overprotective behaviors.

Suggested Citation

  • Yi Liu & Cong Liu, 2023. "Protective and Overprotective Behaviors against COVID-19 Outbreak: Media Impact and Mediating Roles of Institutional Trust and Anxiety," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-15, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:2:p:1368-:d:1033005
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/2/1368/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/2/1368/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bargain, Olivier & Aminjonov, Ulugbek, 2020. "Trust and compliance to public health policies in times of COVID-19," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    2. Xue-Jing Liu & Gustavo S. Mesch, 2020. "The Adoption of Preventive Behaviors during the COVID-19 Pandemic in China and Israel," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-18, September.
    3. Massimiliano Scopelliti & Maria Giuseppina Pacilli & Antonio Aquino, 2021. "TV News and COVID-19: Media Influence on Healthy Behavior in Public Spaces," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-15, February.
    4. Chin-Hsien Hsu & Hsiao-Hsien Lin & Chun-Chih Wang & Shangwun Jhang, 2020. "How to Defend COVID-19 in Taiwan? Talk about People’s Disease Awareness, Attitudes, Behaviors and the Impact of Physical and Mental Health," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-23, June.
    5. Dorit Zimand-Sheiner & Ofrit Kol & Smadar Frydman & Shalom Levy, 2021. "To Be (Vaccinated) or Not to Be: The Effect of Media Exposure, Institutional Trust, and Incentives on Attitudes toward COVID-19 Vaccination," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-14, December.
    6. Kaya, Tugberk, 2020. "The changes in the effects of social media use of Cypriots due to COVID-19 pandemic," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    7. Anwar Sheluchin & Regan M. Johnston & Clifton van der Linden, 2020. "Public Responses to Policy Reversals: The Case of Mask Usage in Canada during COVID-19," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 46(S2), pages 119-126, August.
    8. Michael Siegrist & George Cvetkovich & Claudia Roth, 2000. "Salient Value Similarity, Social Trust, and Risk/Benefit Perception," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(3), pages 353-362, June.
    9. Cong Liu & Yi Liu, 2020. "Media Exposure and Anxiety during COVID-19: The Mediation Effect of Media Vicarious Traumatization," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-15, June.
    10. Yisheng Ye & Ruoxi Wang & Da Feng & Ruijun Wu & Zhifei Li & Chengxu Long & Zhanchun Feng & Shangfeng Tang, 2020. "The Recommended and Excessive Preventive Behaviors during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Community-Based Online Survey in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-16, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Pierre Vandenberghe & Luis Manuel Ladeira & Margarida Gil & Ivo Cardoso & Fatima Rato & Jessica S. Hayes & Maire A. Connolly & Jean-Luc Gala, 2024. "Biosafety Issues in Patient Transport during COVID-19: A Case Study on the Portuguese Emergency Services," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(1), pages 1-10, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hyehyun Hong & Hyo Jung Kim, 2020. "Antecedents and Consequences of Information Overload in the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-15, December.
    2. Olga Khokhlova & Nishtha Lamba & Aditi Bhatia & Marina Vinogradova, 2021. "Biowarfare conspiracy, faith in government, and compliance with safety guidelines during COVID-19: an international study," Mind & Society: Cognitive Studies in Economics and Social Sciences, Springer;Fondazione Rosselli, vol. 20(2), pages 235-251, November.
    3. Angela Bearth & Marie‐Eve Cousin & Michael Siegrist, 2016. "“The Dose Makes the Poison”: Informing Consumers About the Scientific Risk Assessment of Food Additives," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 36(1), pages 130-144, January.
    4. Khan, Nawab Ali & Azhar, Mohd & Rahman, Mohd Nayyer & Akhtar, Mohd Junaid, 2022. "Scale development and validation for usage of social networking sites during COVID-19," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    5. Farooq, Ali & Laato, Samuli & Islam, A.K.M. Najmul & Isoaho, Jouni, 2021. "Understanding the impact of information sources on COVID-19 related preventive measures in Finland," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    6. Massimiliano Scopelliti & Maria Giuseppina Pacilli & Antonio Aquino, 2021. "TV News and COVID-19: Media Influence on Healthy Behavior in Public Spaces," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-15, February.
    7. Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes & Neeraj Kaushal & Ashley N. Muchow, 2021. "Timing of social distancing policies and COVID-19 mortality: county-level evidence from the U.S," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 34(4), pages 1445-1472, October.
    8. Phil-Adrian Klotz, 2022. "Leadership Communication and COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy," MAGKS Papers on Economics 202206, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    9. Ismael Salamah Albursan & Mohammad Farhan Al. Qudah & Hafidha Sulaiman Al-Barashdi & Salaheldin Farah Bakhiet & Eqbal Darandari & Sumayyah S. Al-Asqah & Heba Ibraheem Hammad & Mohammed M. Al-Khadher &, 2022. "Smartphone Addiction among University Students in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Prevalence, Relationship to Academic Procrastination, Quality of Life, Gender and Educational Stage," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-15, August.
    10. Francesco Sarracino & Kelsey J. O’Connor, 2023. "Neo-humanism and COVID-19: Opportunities for a socially and environmentally sustainable world," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(1), pages 9-41, February.
    11. Deopa, Neha & Fortunato, Piergiuseppe, 2021. "Coronagraben in Switzerland: Culture and social distancing in times of COVID-19," GLO Discussion Paper Series 857, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    12. Arda Gitmez & Konstantine Sonin & Austin L. Wright, 2020. "Political Economy of Crisis Response," Working Papers 2020-68, Becker Friedman Institute for Research In Economics.
    13. Timothy C. Earle, 2004. "Thinking Aloud about Trust: A Protocol Analysis of Trust in Risk Management," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(1), pages 169-183, February.
    14. Lu Wei & Tien-Tsung Lee, 2021. "Who Can I Trust in a Scary World? An Examination of the Objects of Trust, Information Sources and Social Distancing Intention Amid COVID-19," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-16, May.
    15. Gebka, Bartosz & Kanungo, Rama Prasad & Wildman, John, 2024. "The transition from COVID-19 infections to deaths: Do governance quality and corruption affect it?," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 46(2), pages 235-253.
    16. Johanna Pfeiffer & Andreas Gabriel & Markus Gandorfer, 2021. "Understanding the public attitudinal acceptance of digital farming technologies: a nationwide survey in Germany," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 38(1), pages 107-128, February.
    17. William J. Luther, 2021. "Behavioral and Policy Responses to COVID-19: Evidence from Google Mobility Data on State- Level Stay-at-Home Orders," Journal of Private Enterprise, The Association of Private Enterprise Education, vol. 36(Fall 2021), pages 67-89.
    18. Alfano, Vincenzo, 2023. "God or good health? Evidence on belief in God in relation to public health during a pandemic," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    19. Laliotis, Ioannis & Minos, Dimitrios, 2022. "Religion, social interactions, and COVID-19 incidence in Western Germany," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    20. Wouter Poortinga & Nick F. Pidgeon, 2003. "Exploring the Dimensionality of Trust in Risk Regulation," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 23(5), pages 961-972, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:20:y:2023:i:2:p:1368-:d:1033005. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.