Anxiety, Coronavirus, Depression, Stress
Conditions
Keywords
Social Media, Misinformation, COVID-19
Brief summary
In this protocol, we seek to examine the role of popular messaging platform WhatsApp in information spread during a crisis. As there have been few global crises in the last decade (coinciding with the rise of social media), the role of private messaging platforms such as WhatsApp during crisis contexts remains understudied. During the current COVID-19 global health crisis, we undertook this study to: (1) characterize the nature of WhatsApp use during crises, (2) characterize the profiles of WhatsApp users (3) understand how WhatsApp usage links to well-being (fear and thoughts about COVID-19).
Interventions
BEHAVIORALSocial media & news consumption
Daily reports of social media use and consumption, including reports on receiving and disseminating news articles related to the COVID-19 situation (e.g., how many messaging groups shared news on the outbreak, how many items related to the outbreak they forwarded to others, etc).
Sponsors
Jean Liu
Study design
Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
21 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* At least 21 years * Has stayed in Singapore for at least 2 years * Has a WhatsApp account that can be used for the research study
Exclusion criteria
* Below 21 years * Has stayed in Singapore for less than 2 years * Does not have a WhatsApp account that can be used for the research study
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp usage | 1 week, starting from date after baseline survey completion | Participants were asked a series of questions daily related to their WhatsApp usage behaviors - in particular, their message-forwarding, personal chat and group chat behaviors. |
| Changes in fear with regards the COVID-19 situation across 1 week | 1 week, starting from date after baseline survey completion | 1 item each day on fear specifically of the COVID-19 situation (measured on a 4 point scale: min = 1, max = 4; higher scores indicating greater fear about the outbreak). |
| Changes in amount of thinking about the COVID-19 situation across 1 week | 1 week, starting from date after initial survey completion | 1 item each day on how much they thought about the outbreak that day (measured on a 5 point scale: min = 1, max = 5; higher scores indicating more thinking about the outbreak). |
Countries
Singapore
Outcome results
None listed