IJERPH, Vol. 18, Pages 9839: Irrational Beliefs about COVID-19: A Scoping Review

IJERPH, Vol. 18, Pages 9839: Irrational Beliefs about COVID-19: A Scoping Review International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph18199839 Authors: Federica Maria Magarini Margherita Pinelli Arianna Sinisi Silvia Ferrari Giovanna Laura De Fazio Gian Maria Galeazzi Since the emergence of the recent Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) and its spread as a pandemic, there has been a parallel spread of false and misleading information, known as an infodemic. The COVID-19 infodemic has induced distrust in scientific communities, governments, institutions and the population, and a confidence crisis that has led to harmful health behaviours, also impacting on mental health. The aim of this study is to provide a scoping review of the scientific literature about COVID-19-related misinformation and conspiracy theories, focusing on the construction of a conceptual framework which is useful for the interpretation of the conspiracy theory phenomenon surrounding COVID-19, and its consequences. Particular socio-environmental conditions (i.e., low educational level, younger age), psychological processes and attitudes (such as low levels of epistemic trust, the avoidance of uncertainty, extraversion, collective narcissism, and a conspiracy-prone mindset), and contextual factors (e.g., high levels of self-perceived risk and anxiety) seem to underpin the adherence to beliefs that are not solely the domain of paranoids and extremists but a ...
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Review Source Type: research