Table 5.
The results of the mediation effect test
| Path | b | p | 95% CI | Mediation type observed | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower | Upper | |||||
| IO → MF → MA | Indirect effect (a ⋅ b) | 0.16 | 0.001 | 0.09 | 0.24 | Partial mediation |
| Direct effect (c’) | 0.38 | 0.001 | 0.26 | 0.48 | ||
| Total effect | 0.53 | 0.000 | 0.43 | 0.62 | ||
| IO → MF → BI | Indirect effect (a ⋅ b) | − 0.16 | 0.000 | − 0.25 | − 0.09 | Partial mediation |
| Direct effect (c’) | − 0.24 | 0.001 | − 0.37 | − 0.12 | ||
| Total effect | − 0.40 | 0.001 | − 0.52 | − 0.28 | ||
Note. IO: perceived information overload, MF: COVID-19 message fatigue, MA: message avoidance, BI: behavioral intention