Exploring the relationship between older adults’ online health information seeking, negative emotions and prevention behaviors in the pandemic context

A two-wave longitudinal study

Dados Bibliográficos

ID22067092
AutoresTianchang Liu (0000-0002-1381-3559, Nanjing University), Xiaokang Song (0000-0002-9862-908X, Xuzhou Medical College), Qinghua Zhu (0000-0002-4879-399X, Nanjing University, autor correspondente)
Ano2024
Volume12
Páginas1377017-1377017
Data de publicação2024-06-12
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoFrontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565
EditoraFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpubh.2024.1377017
PMID38932787
OpenAlexW4399593103
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas3
Referências citadas60

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults were facing more mental health issues that may cause complex impacts on pandemic prevention, and turning to the internet for health information is a double-edged sword for them. This study aimed to investigate the reciprocal relationship between negative emotions and prevention behaviors in older adults, as well as the direct and moderating effects of online health information seeking (OHIS) on negative emotions and prevention behaviors. Methods: Based on the common-sense model of self-regulation (CSM) and a sample of more than 20,000 participants from the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), this study first used an autoregressive cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) to analyze the longitudinal effect of negative emotions on prevention behaviors. Second, the study used ordinary least squares (OLS) regression to explore the influence of OHIS usage frequency changes on negative emotions and prevention behaviors. Third, the study used multigroup analysis to examine the moderating effect of OHIS usage frequency changes on the CLPM. Results: < 0.001). Multigroup analysis revealed that the connection between negative emotions or increased negative emotions and prevention behaviors remained significant for those with no change or an increase in OHIS frequency but not for those with a decrease. Conclusion: This study suggested that negative emotions may drive older adults to engage more in prevention behaviors and that OHIS can augment this effect. These results underscore the importance of addressing mental health and providing reliable online health information to support older adults in managing infectious disease risks

Developmental psychology · Disease · Longitudinal study · Negative emotion · Pandemic · Aging and Gerontology Research · Health Literacy and Information Accessibility · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology · Technology Use by Older Adults