Examining the unique contributions of COVID-19 infodemics to psychological distress in Ghana and New Zealand

Recent evidence on the lasting psychological impacts of COVID-19, including threats from new variants, highlights the need to examine factors driving psychological distress during the pandemic. We have identified the unique contributions of COVID-19 infodemics to psychological distress among the general population of New Zealand and Ghana. We sampled 936 (New Zealand: n = 413, Ghana: n = 523) respondents to participate in an online cross-sectional study. After accounting for the country of residence, the belief in punishment from God and the perception that COVID-19 is not dangerous were positively associated with psychological distress, while the belief in the lab origin of COVID-19 was negatively linked to psychological distress. In New Zealand, the belief that COVID-19 is a ‘Whiteman’s disease’ uniquely accounted for the highest variance in psychological distress (8%, β = .17, p = .003), while in Ghana, the belief that COVID-19 is a punishment from God independently explained 5% of the variance (β = .19, p < .001). The belief that COVID-19 is not dangerous remained a significant predictor in both Ghana (β = .30, p = .010) and New Zealand (β = .13, p = .010), uniquely contributing 2% each to distress variation. The apocalyptic belief in New Zealand (β = .14, p = .011) and concerns about COVID-19 vaccination causing infertility in Ghana (β = .09, p = .037) had the lowest unique contribution each explaining 1% of the variance. Acknowledging the influences of infodemics can guide the development of more effective and culturally sensitive interventions to promote mental health and well-being within various communities during pandemics, epidemics, and Pathogen X.