Anxiety among dental professionals and its association with their dependency on social media for health information: insights from the COVID-19 pandemic

• Published in: BMC Psychology 2021-01, Vol.9 (1), p.9-9, Article 9
• Main Authors: Al-Amad, Suhail H, Hussein, Amal
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aerosols; Age; Anxiety; Anxiety - epidemiology; Communication in medicine; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - psychology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dental Staff - psychology; Dentistry; Dentists; Epidemics; Female; Health aspects; Humans; Information Seeking Behavior; Likert scale; Male; Medical personnel; Pandemics; Professional ethics; Professionals; Psychological aspects; Questionnaires; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Social Media; Social networks; Socioeconomic factors; Statistical analysis; Surveys and Questionnaires; Technology application; User behavior
• ISSN: 2050-7283; 2050-7283
• DOI: 10.1186/s40359-020-00509-y

Social media can play a detrimental role during a global health emergency. In this study, we aimed at assessing the impact social media has on the anxiety level of dental healthcare workers (DHCWs) whilst living through the COVID-19 pandemic. An online questionnaire was disseminated to a cross-sectional sample of DHCWs from 19 countries using social media platforms. The questionnaire enquired about DHCWs' frequency of using social media and their dependency on health-related information posted on those platforms. Anxiety was measured using General Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7). Four-hundred and three (403) DHCWs completed the online questionnaire. Sixty-eight percent (68%) frequently use social media for information on COVID-19. The frequency of social media use was higher among younger DHCWs, with shorter clinical experience, and holders of undergraduate qualifications (p = 0.009, p = 0.002, and p = 0.023, respectively). Almost one third of DHCWs had moderate to severe anxiety (31.7%), which was significantly associated with the frequency of social media use (p = 0.016). This association was adjusted for age, years of experience and qualification level (OR 1.75; 95% CI 1.05-2.93; p = 0.032). COVID-19 social media infodemic has been adversely impacting the psychological wellbeing of DHCWs. More effective measures are needed to control the quality and spreadability of health information on social media platforms.