Effects of misinformation on COVID-19 individual responses and recommendations for resilience of disastrous consequences of misinformation

Barua, Zapan; Barua, Sajib; Aktar, Salma; Kabir, Najma; Li, Mingze

doi:10.1016/j.pdisas.2020.100119

Cited by 297 publications

(286 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…For example, Romer and Jamieson (2020) measured belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories in the US and found that these beliefs were negatively associated with perceived threat of the pandemic, taking preventive actions (e.g., wearing a mask), and intentions to vaccinate against COVID-19 if a vaccine became available. Barua et al (2020) similarly found that belief in conspiracy theories negatively predicted preventive intentions in a sample of Bangladeshi respondents. Imhoff and Lamberty (2020) found that the relationship between COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and preventive intentions depended on the nature of the conspiracy theory.…”

Section: Consequences Of Conspiracy Theoriesmentioning

confidence: 84%

COVID-19 conspiracy theories

Douglas

2021

Group Processes & Intergroup Relations

294

223

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Conspiracy theories started to appear on social media immediately after the first news about COVID-19. Is the virus a hoax? Is it a bioweapon designed in a Chinese laboratory? These conspiracy theories typically have an intergroup flavour, blaming one group for having some involvement in either manufacturing the virus or controlling public opinion about it. In this article, I will discuss why people are attracted to conspiracy theories in general, and why conspiracy theories seem to have flourished during the pandemic. I will discuss what the consequences of these conspiracy theories are for individuals, groups, and societies. I will then discuss some potential strategies for addressing the negative consequences of conspiracy theories. Finally, I will consider some open questions for research regarding COVID-19 conspiracy theories, in particular focusing on the potential impact of these conspiracy theories for group processes and intergroup relations.

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Section: Consequences Of Conspiracy Theoriesmentioning

confidence: 84%

COVID-19 conspiracy theories

Douglas

2021

Group Processes & Intergroup Relations

294

223

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“…It should be noted that the significance of beliefs in conspiracy theories goes beyond an impact on people's mental health during a pandemic. As demonstrated by Barua et al conspiracy beliefs may have a negative impact on the individual's responses to the recommended countermeasures the during COVID-19 pandemic [106]. Interestingly, the study of Farias and Pilati showed that the impact on preventive measures may be nuanced depending on the specific conspiracy theories being shared by respondents [107].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

The Association between Future Anxiety, Health Literacy and the Perception of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

Duplaga

Grysztar

2021

Healthcare

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Increased anxiety related to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in society and specific professional groups has been reported by many authors. Most have applied tools enabling assessing the general traits of anxiety. Tools specifically designed for an assessment of anxiety or fear related to COVID-19 have also been developed. However, no study has assessed the future anxiety in relation to the pandemic. This concept was defined by Zaleski in the end of the 20th century as the state of apprehension, fear, worry, and concern regarding unfavourable changes in the more remote personal future. The aim of this study was an analysis to establish the level and the determinants of future anxiety in Polish society related to the COVID-19 pandemic three months after the introduction of the state of epidemic. The analysis reported in the paper is based on the data obtained through a web-based survey carried out on a representative sample of 1002 Polish adults aged 18–74 years. The hierarchical linear regression model was developed for the analysis of the determinants of future anxiety from the responses to a questionnaire consisting of five items. The independent variables selected for inclusion in the model, apart from sociodemographic characteristics, encompassed health literacy (HL) and ehealth literacy (eHL), perceived health threat related to COVID-19 (PHTC19), and a COVID-19-related conspiracy belief score (CCBS) derived from three items asking about the most popular conspiracy theories. The regression model developed in the final step showed that the future anxiety scale score (FASS) was significantly associated with gender, vocational status, HL, PHTC19, and CCBS. The FASS was lower among men than women (regression coefficient (B) (standard error, SE) = −1.28 (0.39), p = 0.001), among entrepreneurs or farmers rather than among employees of the public or private sector (B(SE) = −1.55, p = 0.010), in persons with a higher HL (B(SE) = −0.43 (0.06), p < 0.001). A higher FASS was observed in respondents with higher rather than lower PHTC19 (B(SE) = 1.49 (0.17), p < 0.001) and in those with a higher CCBS (B(SE) = 0.33 (0.07), p < 0.001). The model accounted for 15.2% of the variance of the FASS. In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic is not only a cause of increased mental symptoms, but also of increased future anxiety. Health-related measures are significantly associated with the FASS.

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“…Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the public has been exposed to many sources of COVID-19 information and misinformation [ [15] , [16] , [17] ]. The fear of contagion has led to many behavioral changes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An assessment of treatment, transport, and refusal incidence in a National EMS's routine work during COVID-19

Siman‐Tov

Strugo

Podolsky

et al. 2021

The American Journal of Emergency Medicine

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Background: COVID-19 created lifestyle changes, and induced a fear of contagion affecting people's decisions regarding seeking medical assistance. Concern surrounding contagion and the pandemic has been found to affect the number and type of medical emergencies to which Emergency Medical Services (EMS) have responded. Aim: To identify, categorize, and analyze Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel's national EMS, pre-hospital activities including patients' refusal to hospital transport, during the COVID-19 pandemic crises. Methods: A comparative before and after design study of MDA incidents during March/April 2019 and March/ April 2020. Medical type, frequency, demographic, location, and transport refusal proportions and outcomes were analyzed. Results: A decrease of 2.6% in the total volume of incidents was observed during March and April 2020 compared with the equivalent period in 2019. This contrasted with the retrospective trend of annually increase observed through 2016-2019. Medical categories showing increase in 2020 were infectious disease, cardiac arrest, psychiatric, and labor and deliveries, with out-of-hospital deliveries increasing by 14%. Decreases in 2020 were seen in neurology and trauma, with trauma incidents occurring at home showing an 8.6% increase. Patients' refusal to transport rose from 13.4% in 2019 to 19.9% in 2020. Cases of refusals followed by death within 8 days were more prevalent in 2020. Conclusion: EMS must be prepared for changes in patients' behavior due to COVID concerns. Targeting populations at risk for refraining or refusing hospital transport and implementing diverse models of EMS, especially during pandemic times, will allow EMS to assist patients safely, either by reducing truly unnecessary ED visits minimizing contagion or by increasing hospital transports for patients in urgent or emergent conditions.

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Effects of misinformation on COVID-19 individual responses and recommendations for resilience of disastrous consequences of misinformation

Cited by 297 publications

References 50 publications

COVID-19 conspiracy theories

COVID-19 conspiracy theories

The Association between Future Anxiety, Health Literacy and the Perception of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

An assessment of treatment, transport, and refusal incidence in a National EMS's routine work during COVID-19

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