ArticleBMC public health2023
PTSD, FOMO and fake news beliefs: a cross-sectional study of Wenchuan earthquake survivors.
Article in BMC public health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 13 citations in OpenAlex.
- Perceived Disinformation, Anxiety, and Depressive Symptoms in the Czech Population: Age-Specific Associations.Depression and anxiety · 2026Article
- The Influence of PTSD on Problematic Internet Use among Chinese Earthquake Survivors: The Mediating Role of Fear of Missing Out and Rumination.Alpha psychiatry · 2025Article
- The effect of post-traumatic stress disorder on misinformation beliefs among survivors of the 2008 China earthquake: the mediating roles of rumination and fear of missing out.BMC psychology · 2025Article
- COVID-19-Related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders Relation With Social Media Addiction Among University Students: Mediating Role of Fear of Missing Out.Psychiatry investigation · 2024Article
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) sufferers show problematic patterns of Internet use such as fear of missing out (FOMO) and sharing misinformation and fake news. This study aimed to investigate these associations in survivors of the 2008 earthquake in Wenchuan, China.
methodsA self-reported survey was completed by 356 survivors of the Wenchuan earthquake. A mediated structural equation model was constructed to test a proposed pattern of associations with FOMO as a mediator of the relationship between PTSD symptoms and belief in fake news, as well as moderators of this pathway.
resultsPTSD was directly associated with believing fake news (β = 0.444, p < .001) and with FOMO (β = 0.347, p < .001). FOMO mediated the association between PTSD and fake news belief (β = 0.373, p < .001). Age moderated the direct (β = 0.148, t = 3.097, p = .002) and indirect (β = 0.145, t = 3.122, p = .002) pathways, with effects more pronounced with increasing age. Gender was also a moderator, with the indirect effect present in females but not in males (β = 0.281, t = 6.737, p < .001).
conclusionThose with higher PTSD symptoms are more likely to believe fake news and this is partly explained by FOMO. This effect is present in females and not males and is stronger in older people. Findings extend knowledge of the role of psychological variables in problematic Internet use among those with PTSD.
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