Abstract
This quantitative study aimed to determine the role of anxiety as a mediator in the relationship between COVID-19 information consumption and protective behaviors. The participants are one hundred (100) parents, specifically those who are living with their children and elderly parents or relatives at home around Barangay Darasa, Tanauan City, Batangas. This study utilized a cross-sectional explanatory research design and used researcher-made questionnaires for data collection. The results of the study revealed that the parents often engage in information consumption, always employ protective behaviors, and strongly agree that they feel symptoms of anxiety. Also, findings revealed that there was a significant positive relationship between information consumption and protective behavior. In mediation analysis, anxiety partially mediated the relationship between information consumption and protective behaviors. The researchers concluded that parents had high anxiety because of the threat of COVID-19. They worry about the situation as well as their family’s health, which leads them to search for information about how to prevent the virus and protect themselves. The higher the uncertainty, the more they become anxious, which leads to engaging in information consumption and employing protective behaviors.
