This study aims to examine how the process of online support obtainment may affect cognitive and behavioral coping during a public crisis. A cross-sectional online survey ( N = 555) was conducted during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. Our findings revealed that informational support, obtained primarily through passive and private online involvement, led to increased risk perceptions of COVID-19; emotional support, obtained mainly via private online involvement, appeared to elicit higher perceived efficacy to cope with the crisis. People’s engagement in preventive behaviors was found to be affected by efficacy perceptions, but not by risk perceptions. The results suggested that online social support functioned as a double-edged sword to affect people’s coping with a public crisis.
【저자키워드】 online social support, engagement in preventive behaviors, online involvement, the buffering model of social support, the social amplification of risk framework.,