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Belief in conspiracy theories and esoteric thinking during COVID-19 pandemic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2022

T. Medvedeva ,
S. Enikolopov ,
O. Boyko  and
O. Vorontsova
T. Medvedeva
Affiliation:
Federal State Budgetary Scientific institution “Mental health research center”, Clinical Psychology, Moscow, Russian Federation
S. Enikolopov
Affiliation:
Federal State Budgetary Scientific institution “Mental health research center”, Clinical Psychology, Moscow, Russian Federation
O. Boyko*
Affiliation:
Federal State Budgetary Scientific institution “Mental health research center”, Clinical Psychology, Moscow, Russian Federation
O. Vorontsova
Affiliation:
Federal State Budgetary Scientific institution “Mental health research center”, Clinical Psychology, Moscow, Russian Federation
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

Psychological distress during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic can manifest itself in interpretations of what is happening.

Objectives

To analyze response to COVID-19 pandemic in people with high level of esoteric thinking.

Methods

Internet survey 23.03.20-29.01.21 (N=621); Constructive Thinking Inventory(CTI); SCL-90R. It was proposed to assess statements: “The authorities are hiding the true scale of the coronavirus pandemic”, “Coronavirus is the result of biological weapons development”, “Coronavirus is a punishment or a sign sent to people from above”, “The emergence of the coronavirus is the Earth’s response to its pollution”. It was offered to express an opinion about pandemic. The answers were coded on the basis of qualitative semantic analysis.

Results

The growth of “esoteric thinking” was revealed (Std.J-T, p=.025). With a high level of esoteric thinking, emotional statements (“fear, anxiety, panic”) are more common (27.8% versus 16.9% for group with high and low level of «esoteric thinking»). Correlations of the level of «esoteric thinking» with level of depression (Spearman’s correlation ,085*), anxiety (,097*), GSI (,130**), «fears for the life» (23.4% versus 14.5%) show high emotional distress. With an increase in the level of «esoteric thinking», belief in various conspiracy theories increases; Spearman’s correlation ,370** with the belief is biological weapons, punishment for sins (,355**), belief in concealing information about the pandemic (,167**).

Conclusions

A high level of esoteric thinking is associated with an increased emotional response to the pandemic and with belief in conspiracy theories, and can increase emotional instability by itself also making constructive decisions difficult in situations related to protecting personal health and safety.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Keywords

DepressionCovid-19esoteric thinkingconspiracy theories
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 65 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 30th European Congress of Psychiatry , June 2022 , pp. S74
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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