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.

中文翻译：

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牙科专业人士的焦虑及其与依赖社交媒体获取健康信息的关联：来自COVID-19大流行的见解

社交媒体可能会在全球卫生紧急情况下发挥有害作用。在这项研究中，我们旨在评估社交媒体对生活在COVID-19大流行中的牙科保健工作者（DHCW）焦虑水平的影响。使用社交媒体平台向19个国家的卫生保健工作者的横断面样本分发了在线调查表。问卷询问了DHCW使用社交媒体的频率及其对在这些平台上发布的健康相关信息的依赖性。使用一般焦虑症量表（GAD-7）测量焦虑。四百零三名（403名）DHCW完成了在线调查表。68％（68％）的人经常使用社交媒体获取有关COVID-19的信息。年轻的DHCW中使用社交媒体的频率更高，临床经验更短，以及持有大学学历的人（分别为p = 0.009，p = 0.002和p​​ = 0.023）。几乎有三分之一的家庭保健工作者患有中度至重度焦虑（31.7％），这与社交媒体的使用频率显着相关（p = 0.016）。对该协会进行了年龄，经验年限和资格水平的调整（OR 1.75； 95％CI 1.05–2.93； p = 0.032）。COVID-19社交媒体信息流行已严重威胁了DHCW的心理健康。需要采取更有效的措施来控制社交媒体平台上健康信息的质量和可传播性。对该协会进行了年龄，经验年限和资格水平的调整（OR 1.75； 95％CI 1.05–2.93； p = 0.032）。COVID-19社交媒体信息流行已严重威胁了DHCW的心理健康。需要采取更有效的措施来控制社交媒体平台上健康信息的质量和可传播性。对该协会进行了年龄，经验年限和资格水平的调整（OR 1.75； 95％CI 1.05–2.93； p = 0.032）。COVID-19社交媒体信息流行已严重威胁了DHCW的心理健康。需要采取更有效的措施来控制社交媒体平台上健康信息的质量和可传播性。