COVID-19 Message Fatigue, Information Overload, Message Avoidance, and Behavioral Intention–Model Inventory

Abstract

The COVID-19 Message Fatigue, Information Overload, Message Avoidance, and Behavioral Intention–Model, developed by Sun and Lee (2023), is a comprehensive psychological inventory designed to examine the communication dynamics associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The scale is theoretically grounded in the Stressor-Strain-Outcome Framework, hypothesizing that excessive exposure to pandemic-related news (stressor/information overload) leads to psychological strain (message fatigue), which in turn predicts coping behaviors (message avoidance) and measurable outcomes (behavioral intention).

The instrument was rigorously tested using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and factor analytic techniques on a sample of young adults in the United States. The study successfully reported strong findings regarding the factor structure, high reliability, and robust validity of the measure, confirming its utility in assessing responses to prolonged health crisis communication.

Keywords

Behavioral Intention; COVID-19 Message Fatigue; Information Overload; Message Avoidance; Social Media; Stressor-Strain-Outcome Framework; Health Psychology Assessment; Digital Fatigue; Confirmatory Factor Analysis; Structural Equation Modeling; Health Communication.

Authors

Sun, Juhyung; Lee, Sun Kyong

Purpose

The primary purpose of this measurement model is to systematically quantify the psychological process linking excessive exposure to pandemic media and subsequent health behaviors. Specifically, it aims to assess how perceived information overload regarding COVID-19 leads directly to COVID-19 message fatigue.

Furthermore, the model evaluates the downstream consequences of this fatigue, focusing on how it influences an individual’s tendency toward message avoidance behavior, and critically, how these factors ultimately predict the intention to perform specific preventive health behaviors, which include practicing hygiene, adhering to social restrictions, and willingness to undergo vaccination.

Construct

The model encompasses four main psychological constructs, operating within a sequential, causal framework derived from the Stressor-Strain-Outcome model. The items constituting the scale were adapted from established measures in communication and health psychology literature (e.g., Wisniewski & Lu, 2010; So et al., 2017; Cho, 2004).

• Information Overload (IO): Measures the respondent’s perception of having received an excessive amount of COVID-19-related information, particularly through channels like social media, leading to difficulty in processing or utilizing the data.

• COVID-19 Message Fatigue: Captures the psychological strain resulting from information overload, characterized by emotional exhaustion and tedium associated with constant exposure to pandemic messaging.

• Message Avoidance: Reflects deliberate efforts by the individual to ignore, filter, or bypass COVID-19 related content due to feelings of fatigue or overload.

• Behavioral Intention (BI): Represents the willingness or plan to engage in protective health measures, segmented into three distinct sub-factors: Hygiene, Social restrictions, and Vaccination intent.

Validity

The validity of the measurement model was thoroughly examined, focusing on both convergent and discriminant validity. Convergent validity, which confirms that items measuring the same construct are highly correlated, was supported by the Average Variance Extracted (AVE) values. The AVE for all constructs ranged robustly from 0.51 to 0.80, exceeding the generally accepted threshold of 0.50.

Discriminant validity, which confirms that constructs are empirically distinct from one another, was assessed using the Heterotrait-Monotrait Ratio (HTMT) analysis. The results showed that the estimated HTMT ratio for all variables was below the critical criterion of 0.90, providing strong evidence of good discriminant validity among the measured concepts, such as Information Overload and COVID-19 Message Fatigue.

Reliability

Internal consistency, a key measure of reliability, was established through the calculation of Cronbach’s alpha and Composite Reliability (CR) values for all latent constructs. Both reliability indices demonstrated high consistency, with values ranging from 0.73 to 0.94. These robust figures indicate that the items within each construct reliably measure the intended underlying psychological dimension, ensuring stable assessment across the sample.

Factor Analysis

The structural integrity of the scale was confirmed using both Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Initial EFA led to the removal of four specific items (BI4, BI9, BI12, and BI14) that exhibited factor loadings below the 0.40 threshold (Hair et al., 2010).

The subsequent CFA on the revised measurement model showed an excellent fit to the empirical data, evidenced by favorable fit indices: χ²(288) = 791.12, p < .001, with a normalized χ²/df ratio of 2.75, CFI = 0.95, RMSEA = 0.06, and SRMR = 0.05. Furthermore, a second-order CFA was specifically performed for the complex Behavioral Intention construct to verify its hierarchical structure (hygiene, social restrictions, vaccination). This second-order model also achieved an acceptable fit: χ²(40) = 153.42, χ²/df = 3.84, CFI = 0.97, RMSEA = 0.06, and SRMR = 0.04. Finally, Harman’s single-factor test was conducted to check for common method bias, which accounted for only 41.76% of the total variance, suggesting that bias did not significantly contaminate the data.

Instrument

Test Type: Original

Format: Items are rated using 5- and 7-point Likert-type scales ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree."

Language Available: English

Population Group: Human (Male, Female, Nonbinary)

Age Group: Adulthood (18 yrs & older), specifically Young Adulthood (18-29 yrs) and Thirties (30-39 yrs).

Population Details: Respondents were university students in the United States, representing various gender identities including Nonbinary.

Test Methodology: Test Validity, Convergent Validity, Discriminant Validity, Test Reliability, Internal Consistency, Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Exploratory Factor Analysis, Measurement Model, Structural Equation Modeling.

Number of Items: This is a 26-item measure.

Keywords

Information Overload; COVID-19 Message Fatigue; Message Avoidance; Behavioral Intention; Health Communication; Young Adults; Psychometrics; Measurement Model; Social Restrictions; Vaccination Intention.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier:

• Sun, Juhyung: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0302-5196

• Lee, Sun Kyong: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8645-8922

Affiliation Email addresses:

• Sun, Juhyung: [email protected] (University of Oklahoma Department of Communication)

• Lee, Sun Kyong: [email protected] (Korea University School of Media & Communication)

Correspondence Address: Sun, Juhyung: University of Oklahoma, Department of Communication, 610 Elm Ave, Norman, Oklahoma, United States, 73019, [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: Contact Corresponding Author.

Fee: No

Commercial: No

Test Year: 2023

References

Sun, J., & Lee, S. K. (2023). “No more COVID-19 messages via social media, please”: The mediating role of COVID-19 message fatigue between information overload, message avoidance, and behavioral intention. Current Psychology: A Journal for Diverse Perspectives on Diverse Psychological Issues, 42(24), 20347–20361. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04726-7

Items of the COVID-19 Message Fatigue, Information Overload, Message Avoidance, and Behavioral Intention–Model Inventory

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Constructs:

• Information Overload (IO)

• COVID-19 Message Fatigue (Exhaustion; Tedium)

• Message Avoidance

• Behavioral Intention (Hygiene; Social restrictions; Vaccination)

Test Items Availability: No data is Available.

Test Location: 2023-79819-001, Appendix, Page 20358.