Background Evidence from past pandemics suggests that fear, uncertainty, and loss of control during large-scale public health crises may lead to increased pandemic-related information seeking, particularly among persons predisposed to high anxiety. In such groups, a greater consumption of information pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic may increase anxiety. Objective In this study, we examine the association between online activity and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) scores in the United States. Methods We recruited participants for an online survey through advertisements on various platforms such as Google, Facebook, and Reddit. A total of 406 adult US participants with moderate to severe (≥10) GAD-7 scores met the inclusion criteria and completed the survey. Anxiety levels measured using the GAD-7 scale formed our primary outcome. Our key independent variables were average daily time spent online and average daily time spent online searching about COVID-19 within the past 14 days. We used as controls potential confounders of the relation between our key independent variables and GAD-7 scores, namely, sleep quality, the COVID-19 Fear Inventory scale, binge drinking, substance use, prescription drug abuse, and sociodemographic attributes. Results Linear multivariate regression analyses showed that GAD-7 scores were higher among those who spent >4 hours online (per day) searching for information about COVID-19 (coefficient 1.29, P =.002), controlling for all other covariates. The total time spent online was not statistically associated with GAD-7 scores. Conclusions Results from this study indicate that limiting pandemic-related online information seeking may aid anxiety management in our study population.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19, Anxiety, Stress, cross-sectional, survey, Internet, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, GAD, online activity, scores, 【초록키워드】 public health, COVID-19 pandemic, Substance use, management, Control, Pandemics, covariates, Reddit, fear, information, moderate, platform, association, Google, Facebook, sleep quality, Primary outcome, independent variable, anxiety level, study population, average, inclusion criteria, GAD-7, participant, Sociodemographic, attributes, The United States, objective, confounder, inventory, Result, greater, recruited, per day, groups, statistically, Generalized, regression analysis, seeking, 【제목키워드】 activity, score, Generalized,