Citation

Teufel M, Schweda A, Dörrie N, Musche V, Hetkamp M, Weismüller B, Lenzen H, Stettner M, Kohler H, Bäuerle A, Skoda EM. J. Public Health (Oxford) 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

University of Duisburg-Essen, Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, LVR University Hospital Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/pubmed/fdaa060

PMID

32393966

Abstract

At a time of growing governmental restrictions and 'physical distancing' in order to decelerate the spread of COVID-19, psychological challenges are increasing. Social media plays an important role in maintaining social contact as well as exerting political influence. World leaders use it not only to keep citizens informed but also to boost morale and manage people's fears. However, some leaders do not follow this approach; an example is the German Chancellor. In a large online survey, we aimed to determine levels of COVID-19 fear, generalized anxiety, depression, safety behaviour, trust in government and risk perception in Germany. A total of 12 244 respondents participated during the period of restraint and the public shutdown in March 2020. Concurrent with the German Chancellor's speech, a reduction of anxiety and depression was noticeable in the German population. It appears that, in addition to using social media platforms like Twitter, different-and sometimes more conservative-channels for providing information can also be effective.

© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Language: en