2025/11/26 by Shuming Yang · 1 voice
Social Sciences · Health Professions · #Misinformation and Its Impacts #Health Literacy and Information Accessibility #Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare
paper · doi:10.1080/1369118x.2025.2594589
openalex publication_date 2025/11/26 · openalex created_date 2025/11/28 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/15
Social correction is considered an effective strategy to combat health misinformation. While existing research has shown that perceived influence of health misinformation can stimulate individuals’ social correction behavior, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Grounded in the O–S–O–R model, the current study investigated both direct and indirect association between perceived influence of health misinformation and social correction intention. A survey of 1,106 participants in China showcased that perceived influence of health misinformation was positively associated with both institutional and interpersonal verification. Institutional verification was positively tied to both individuals’ subjective and objective health knowledge, while interpersonal verification was only positively linked to subjective health knowledge. Subjective health knowledge, not objective health knowledge was positively linked to social correction intention. Furthermore, perceived influence of health misinformation did not directly predict social correction intention; rather, it was mediated by institutional verification, interpersonal verification, and subjective health knowledge. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.