Stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives! Confidence in government moderates the negative effects of staying at home on mental health

The effect of cyberchondria on anxiety, depression and quality of life during COVID-19: the mediational role of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and Internet addiction

“…Finally, considering the current pandemic context, governments may have a fundamental role. While the evidence seem still controversial concerning the impact of the timeliness and the stringency of governments’ response to COVID-19 on physical and mental health ( Ćepulić et al, 2021 ; Chen et al, 2021a , 2021b ; Lee et al, 2021a , 2021b ; Long et al, 2021 ), higher levels of trust in governments seem to increase the adoption of protective behaviors among the public ( Robinson et al, 2021 ) and to moderate the risk perception of COVID-19 ( Xu, 2021 ) and the psychological distress ( Ahn et al, 2021 ; Olagoke et al, 2020 ), even when restrictions are stringent ( Tan et al, 2021 ). As misinformation showed to be negatively associated with lower levels of confidence in governments and scientific institutions ( Pickles et al, 2021 ), it is fundamental that governments spread consistent and clear messages and knowledge on COVID-19 to help people to deal with this kind of information and to identify trustworthy sources ( Okan et al, 2020 ), moderating the detrimental impact of the infodemic on psychological wellbeing ( Samal, 2021 ).…”

The Role of Digital Technology in Curbing COVID-19

“…For example, in the UK, the government initiated a key statement: “ Stay home, protect the NHS, and save lives ” to curb the spread of the virus. Another example from Saudi Arabia is when the government initiated a statement: “ We are all responsible ” to fight the coronavirus [ 63 , 65 ]. This has helped directly and indirectly to accelerate the adoption and diffusion of digital technology in healthcare systems, which would have taken years if the pandemic did not exist.…”

Improving vaccination intent among skeptics through confidence in governments' handling of the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Trust or confidence in government has historically played a crucial role in determining citizens' compliance with public health measures ( Tan et al, 2021 ; Taylor-Clark et al, 2005 ). For example, hesitancy in taking the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccines was attributed to “historic levels of distrust” towards the British government, while hesitancy towards similar vaccines in Orange County, California, after a 2015 measles outbreak, was predominantly linked to parental distrust of health authorities ( Blair et al, 2017 ).…”

“…For example, citizens who trust authorities in their country can even endure personal hardships to comply with government-recommended movement restrictions ( Bargain & Aminjonov, 2020 ). Beyond the fact that citizens heed their government's recommended mitigation policies when these entities are trusted, there are other palliative benefits too: the reassurance that things will eventually return to normal can help soothe mental distress ( Tan et al, 2021 ).…”