Health misinformation exposure and psychological distress among women using social media: The roles of credibility uncertainty and loneliness

Background Social media is a major source of health information, yet misinformation and difficulty judging information credibility may affect mental well-being. Women are highly engaged with mental health content online and experience higher levels of anxiety, depression, and loneliness, making this environment particularly relevant to women’s mental health. Methods We analysed 2024 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 7) data, restricting the sample to adult women reporting social media use in the past 12 months. Exposures included perceived exposure to misleading health information and difficulty judging whether health information was true or false. Outcomes were psychological distress (PHQ-4) and loneliness. Survey-weighted linear regression models adjusted for sociodemographic and health-related covariates were used. Results Among women social media users, the mean PHQ-4 score was 2.14 (SE 0.07), and the mean loneliness score was 7.75 (SE 0.11). High difficulty judging information credibility was associated with higher psychological distress compared with low difficulty (β = 1.01, 95% CI 0.72–1.31). Associations between perceived misinformation exposure and distress were weaker and inconsistent. Loneliness was associated with higher distress across exposure levels, although interaction terms were not statistically significant. Peer-support engagement was associated with higher loneliness (β = 1.00, 95% CI 0.51–1.48) and modestly higher distress (β = 0.34, 95% CI 0.09–0.59). Conclusion Difficulty judging the credibility of health information on social media was more strongly associated with women’s psychological distress than perceived misinformation exposure alone, highlighting credibility uncertainty, mental health literacy, and social isolation as key considerations for women’s digital well-being and mental health policy.