Understanding crisis dynamics during public health emergencies
An integrated framework of social consequences, trust, and behavioral responses
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22433443 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Wenyue Xu (Beijing Normal University), Naizhe Li (Beijing Normal University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Publication date | 2026-07-15 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565 |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1875500 |
| OpenAlex | W7168337995 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 76 |
Public health emergencies are inherently social crises that disrupt institutions, livelihoods, and everyday social functioning. However, the factors that determine whether their crisis dimensions are amplified, sustained, or attenuated remain insufficiently understood from an integrated, macro-systemic perspective. This review synthesizes evidence across epidemiology, sociology, psychology, and public health to examine the interacting mechanisms that shape the social dynamics of epidemics. We develop a framework in which social consequences, trust dynamics, behavioral and psychological responses, and information environments jointly influence crisis trajectories through reciprocal feedback processes. Trust is conceptualized as a critical mediating factor linking governance to public behavior, while inequalities and information environments condition whether disruptions are contained or amplified. We conclude that epidemic preparedness should move beyond a pathogen-centered model to integrate social protection, trust-sensitive communication, mental health support, and infodemic management.
Corporate governance · Preparedness · Public health · Reciprocal · Social determinants of health · Social dynamics · Disaster Management and Resilience · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Public Relations and Crisis Communication
Socioeconomic status determines Covid-19 incidence and related mortality in Santiago, Chile
How mental health care should change as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic
Model uncertainty, political contestation, and public trust in science
Syndemics and the biosocial conception of health
Pandemic preparedness and Covid-19
Covid-19-related misinformation on social media
Social consequences of mass quarantine during epidemics
Monitoring behavioural insights related to Covid-19
Mobile phone data for informing public health actions across the Covid-19 pandemic life cycle
National identity predicts public health support during a global pandemic
The Lancet Commission on lessons for the future from the Covid-19 pandemic
The psychological impact of quarantine and how to reduce it
Multidisciplinary research priorities for the Covid-19 pandemic
Analyzing Risk Communication, Trust, Risk Perception, Negative Emotions, and Behavioral Coping Strategies During the Covid-19 Pandemic in China Using a Structural Equation Model
Identifying a New Social Intervention Model of Panic Buying Under Sudden Epidemic
How Covid-19 Triggers Our Herding Behavior? Risk Perception, State Anxiety, and Trust
Management of infodemics in outbreaks or health crises
Trust and the Coronavirus Pandemic
Financial and Other Life Stressors, Psychological Distress, and Food and Beverage Consumption among Students Attending a Large California State University during the Covid-19 Pandemic
The lasting influence of Ebola
Misinformation and the US Ebola communication crisis
Using social and behavioural science to support Covid-19 pandemic response
Resisting Lockdown
From pandemic to Plandemic
Ten considerations for effectively managing the Covid-19 transition
Social isolation and the brain in the pandemic era
Travel bans erode global trust
Global evidence of expressed sentiment alterations during the Covid-19 pandemic
Moral dilemmas and trust in leaders during a global health crisis
The association between vaccination status identification and societal polarization
Social implications of Covid-19
Swiss residents' information behavior perceptions during the Covid-19 pandemic
Stigma and blame related to Covid-19 pandemic
Trust, risk perception, and Covid-19 infections
Socioeconomic stratification and trajectories of social trust during Covid-19
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |