Social Media Use, Self-Efficacy, Perceived Threat, and Preventive Behavior in Times of COVID-19: Results of a Cross-Sectional Study in Pakistan

Qaisar Khalid Mahmood, Sara Rizvi Jafree, Sahifa Mukhtar, Florian Fischer, Qaisar Khalid Mahmood, Sara Rizvi Jafree, Sahifa Mukhtar, Florian Fischer

Abstract

Although the role of social media in infectious disease outbreaks is receiving increasing attention, little is known about the mechanisms by which social media use affects risk perception and preventive behaviors during such outbreaks. This study aims to determine whether there are any relationships between social media use, preventive behavior, perceived threat of coronavirus, self-efficacy, and socio-demographic characteristics. The data were collected from 310 respondents across Pakistan using an online cross-sectional survey. Reliability analyses were performed for all scales and structural equational modeling was used to identify the relationships between study variables. We found that: (i) social media use predicts self-efficacy (β = 0.25, p < 0.05) and perceived threat of coronavirus (β = 0.54, p < 0.05, R 2 = 0.06), and (ii) preventive behavior is predicted by self-efficacy and perceived threat of coronavirus (R = 0.10, p < 0.05). Therefore, these results indicate the importance of social media's influence on health-related behaviors. These findings are valuable for health administrators, governments, policymakers, and social scientists, specifically for individuals whose situations are similar to those in Pakistan.

Keywords: coronavirus; infection control; infection management; prevention; regulation; social media use.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Copyright © 2021 Mahmood, Jafree, Mukhtar and Fischer.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Conceptual model of the study based on the theory of EPPM.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Structural equation model of social media use, self-efficacy, perceived threat related to COVID-19, and preventive behavior.

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Source: PubMed

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