Examining the mediating role of e-health literacy in the relationship between COVID-19 awareness and dispositional hope and the experiences of those who survived the disease

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the mediating effect of e-health literacy levels on the relationship between individuals' awareness of COVID-19 and dispositional hope during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research was conducted with a mixed-methods design. Quantitative data were collected for the study online using Google Forms and qualitative data were collected online with an interview technique. In this framework, the qualitative data were obtained from a total of 15 people who had been diagnosed with COVID-19. These participants were selected using the snowball sampling method. A personal information form, e-Health Literacy Scale, Coronavirus Awareness Scale, Dispositional Hope Scale, and semistructured interview form were utilized in the course of the research. As a result of, it was determined that there were significant relationships between coronavirus awareness and both e-health literacy and dispositional hope, as well as between e-health literacy and dispositional hope. The measurement model was found to have good fit values. Testing the structural equation model, it was determined that e-health literacy had a full mediating role between coronavirus awareness and dispositional hope. In addition, this study showed that people who had COVID-19 had increased awareness of COVID-19 after contracting the disease. © 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Community Psychology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.