Digital media exposure, trust, and preventive behaviors during COVID-19 pandemic.

Authors

Zakir Shah, Lu Wei, Abdul Wahab Rahimi

Published in

Acta psychologica. Volume 269. Pages 107417. Jul 14, 2026. Epub Jul 14, 2026.

Abstract

This study investigates how digital media exposure is associated with individuals' psychological responses and behavioral adaptation during crises. Building on the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM), the study provides an empirical examination of the associations among perceived severity, perceived susceptibility, perceived self-efficacy, response efficacy, trust in government, social trust, and preventive behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The proposed conceptual model was tested using structural equation modeling (AMOS-SEM 22) based on cross-sectional survey data collected online in China (N = 1600). The results indicate that digital media exposure is positively associated with perceived severity, perceived susceptibility, perceived self-efficacy, response efficacy, trust in government, and social trust. These six factors were also significantly associated with individuals' preventive behaviors. Notably, trust-related factors, including trust in government and social trust, showed the strongest associations with preventive behaviors, exceeding the associations observed for perceived threat (perceived severity and susceptibility) and perceived efficacy (self-efficacy and response efficacy). These findings are consistent with the EPPM and suggest that trust may be an important psychological and social factor to consider when applying the model to digital crisis communication contexts. From a psychological and applied perspective, the results highlight the relevance of reciprocal crisis communication and public engagement. Transparent, credible, and interactive communication by public relations officials and authorities may be associated with higher levels of public trust and greater adherence to recommended preventive practices during crises.

PMID:
42447578
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 15 Jul 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.