Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33402169›Full record

ArticleGlobalization and health2021

Mental health consequences of COVID-19 media coverage: the need for effective crisis communication practices.

Zhaohui Su, Dean McDonnell, Jun Wen, Metin Kozak, Jaffar Abbas, Sabina Šegalo, Xiaoshan Li, Junaid Ahmad, Ali Cheshmehzangi, Yuyang Cai and 2 more

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In one paragraph

Article in Globalization and health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 177 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
177citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

177 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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117 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Zhaohui SuCenter on Smart and Connected Health Technologies, Mays Cancer Center, School of Nursing, UT Health San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA. szh@utexas.edu.ORCID 0000-0003-2005-9504
Dean McDonnellDepartment of Humanities, Institute of Technology Carlow, Carlow, Ireland, R93 V960.
Jun WenSchool of Business and Law, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, 6027, Australia.
Metin KozakSchool of Tourism, Dokuz Eylül University, 35680 Foça, İzmir, Turkey.
Jaffar AbbasAntai College of Economics and Management, and School of Media and Communication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
Sabina ŠegaloDepartment of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sarajevo, 71000, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Xiaoshan LiProgram of Public Relations and Advertising, Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China.
Junaid AhmadPrime Institute of Public Health, Peshawar Medical College, Warsak Road, Peshawar, 25160, Pakistan.
Ali CheshmehzangiHead of Department of Architecture and Built Environment; Professor of Architecture and Urban Design, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo, Zhejiang, 315100, China.
Yuyang CaiSchool of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Ling YangDepartment of Geriatrics, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China.
Yu-Tao XiangUnit of Psychiatry, Institute of Translational Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences; & Center for Cognition and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China. ytxiang@um.edu.mo.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

During global pandemics, such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), crisis communication is indispensable in dispelling fears, uncertainty, and unifying individuals worldwide in a collective fight against health threats. Inadequate crisis communication can bring dire personal and economic consequences. Mounting research shows that seemingly endless newsfeeds related to COVID-19 infection and death rates could considerably increase the risk of mental health problems. Unfortunately, media reports that include infodemics regarding the influence of COVID-19 on mental health may be a source of the adverse psychological effects on individuals. Owing partially to insufficient crisis communication practices, media and news organizations across the globe have played minimal roles in battling COVID-19 infodemics. Common refrains include raging QAnon conspiracies, a false and misleading "Chinese virus" narrative, and the use of disinfectants to "cure" COVID-19. With the potential to deteriorate mental health, infodemics fueled by a kaleidoscopic range of misinformation can be dangerous. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of research on how to improve crisis communication across media and news organization channels. This paper identifies ways that legacy media reports on COVID-19 and how social media-based infodemics can result in mental health concerns. This paper discusses possible crisis communication solutions that media and news organizations can adopt to mitigate the negative influences of COVID-19 related news on mental health. Emphasizing the need for global media entities to forge a fact-based, person-centered, and collaborative response to COVID-19 reporting, this paper encourages media resources to focus on the core issue of how to slow or stop COVID-19 transmission effectively.

Indexed as

Consumer Health InformationCOVID-19Health CommunicationHumansMass MediaMental HealthPandemicsSARS-CoV-2Social MediaCoronavirusCOVID-19Crisis communicationDisinformationInfodemicMental healthMisinformation

Identifiers

PMID33402169
PMCPMC7784222

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.