AUTHOR=Zhang Kunying , Zhang Naifu , Wang Jie , Jiang Jie , Xu Sihua 

TITLE=Exploring the roles of fear and powerlessness in the relationship between perceived risk of the COVID-19 pandemic and information-avoidance behavior

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1005142

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1005142

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=The current investigation was conducted to determine the correlation between the perceived epidemic risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and information-avoidance behavior and the mediating role of fear and powerlessness during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed to test the conceptual model, where the perceived risk of the COVID-19 pandemic was considered a predictor, fear and powerlessness as mediating variables, and information-avoidance behavior as the outcome. A total of 557 Chinese respondents with COVID-19 treated in modular hospitals were recruited and completed a questionnaire containing scales of the perceived epidemic risk of COVID-19, fear, powerlessness, and information-avoidance behavior. The results yielded from the Structural equation modeling analysis indicated a significant and positive association between the perceived epidemic risk of COVID-19 and information-avoidance behaviors. Powerlessness acted as the mediator between the perceived epidemic risk of COVID-19 and information-avoidance behavior. The perceived epidemic risk of COVID-19 influenced information-avoidance behavior through feelings of fear and powerlessness in turn. These results provide a more comprehensive understanding of why and how the perceived epidemic risk of COVID-19 predicts information-avoidance behavior.