Belief in false information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and a tendency to conspiracy thinking as factors that may exacerbate symptoms of anxiety and depression among Polish citizens

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has become the subject of intense discussion on social media platforms. Fake news and conspiracy theories about the SARS-CoV-2 virus, in particular its origin, spread, impact on health and prevention, have become especially popular. The social crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with a growing tendency to believe in conspiracy theories, which in turn may contribute to an increase in anxiety tension and thus deteriorate the psychological health of citizens.

Objectives

The aim of the study was to determine the relationships between the tendency to believe in false information about the COVID-19 pandemic and the severity of symptoms of anxiety and depression among the surveyed Polish citizens.

Methods

The study included 700 Polish people aged 24.7±6.34 years. We used questionnaires such as: COVID-19 Conspiratorial Beliefs Scale to measure the level of belief in false information regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, Generic Conspiracist Beliefs Scale to measure tendencies to believe in conspiracy theories, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.

Results

Belief in false information about the COVID-19 pandemic may be associated with a slight increase in the severity of both anxiety symptoms (b=0.044; p=0.021) and depression (b=0.048; p=0.004). A factor known as belief in the criminal activity of government organizations may also contribute to predicting the increase in the severity of symptoms of anxiety (b=0.172; p=0.001) and depression (b=0.169; p=0.000) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conclusions

Belief in false information about the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as belief in general conspiracy theories, can contribute to the psychological deterioration of citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

The occurence of mood and anxiety disorders in heart transplant recipients

Fortynine heart transplant recipients were evaluated during the first weeks after orthotopic heart transplantation. Using the ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases-10th revision) criteria, we studied the incidence of anxiety disorders as well as 17 demographic and medical factors potentially influencing the probability of their occurrence. A smaller 36-person group was evaluated using standard psychopathologic scales for anxiety and mood disorders. Cox regression analysis was used to specify which of 11 demographic and medical factors influenced the time to occurrence of the first episode of a mental disorder. Anxiety episodes occurred in 25 patients, depressive episodes in 27, (hypo)manic in 3, and 12 manifested a slightly elevated mood. The risk of occurrence of anxiety and mood disorders was highest during the first 3 weeks after OHT. "False alarms," namely, calls to the clinic not ending up in transplantation, and coexisting illnesses were related to higher incidences and earlier appearance of anxiety and mood disorders. The risk of occurrence of an anxiety syndrome was greater among older patients. Anxiety syndromes were manifested earlier in patients who underwent transplantation due to ischemic cardiomyopathy than in patients with heart failure caused by other factors. A greater number of false alarms, of long-lasting hospitalizations, and of low mean cyclosporine levels were risk factors for depressive episodes.