People with depression may be more likely to accept false information related to the COVID-19 vaccine

A general prejudice against negativeness-; or a tendency to focus on negative information rather than positive information-; can exacerbate the dissemination of false information. Depression can contribute to such negative prejudices, so a team led by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) found that people who experience symptoms of depression are mistakenly associated with the COVID-19 vaccine. I investigated whether it was easier to accept the information I received.Their findings are published in JAMA network open..

One of the notable points of depression is that it can cause people to see the world differently-; it’s like the opposite of rosy glasses. So, to some depressed people, the world looks like a particularly dark and dangerous place. “

Roy H. Perlis, Principal Writer, MD, MSc, Deputy Chief of Research Psychiatry MGH, Director of Quantitative Health Center

“People looking at the world in this way thought they were likely to believe in false information about vaccines. If you already think the world is a dangerous place, vaccines are dangerous. I tend to believe that there is. “

To investigate, Perlis and his colleagues completed an Internet survey between May and July 2021 containing statements related to the COVID-19 vaccine after completing a questionnaire measuring depressive symptoms in the United States. We examined responses from 15,464 adults from all 50 states and Washington, DC.

The team found that the level of depression was at least three times higher than the level before the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants with moderate or higher major depressive symptoms in the first questionnaire are likely to support at least one of the four false statements about the COVID-19 vaccine in subsequent studies, and these statements are likely. Participants who supported the vaccine were less likely to be vaccinated. Specifically, the presence of depression is 2.2 times more likely to support false information, and respondents who support at least one false information statement are half as likely to be vaccinated and vaccine resistant. Was 2.7 times more likely to report.

Perlis and his colleagues also analyzed data from a subset of 2,809 respondents who responded to the next survey two months later.In the first study, people with depression were twice as likely to support people without depression. more More incorrect information than the previous survey.

“We can’t conclude that depression caused this susceptibility, but looking at the second wave of data, we at least found that depression had occurred. Previous False alarm. In short, the wrong information didn’t make people more depressed. ” The survey also included questions about social media and news sources, so investigators get news from different locations about the effects of depression, which are people with specific political beliefs and specific demographics. I also found that I wasn’t limited to members of the group.

Researchers say the findings provide additional motivation for people to have access to treatments for depression and anxiety. “Our results suggest that coping with very high levels of depression in this country during COVID can reduce people’s sensitivity to false information,” Perlis said. say. “Of course, we can only show relevance-; we can’t show the Great Depression. CauseSensitive, but certainly suggestive. “

Perlis emphasizes that the results never blame the false information of people with depression, but rather depression may be more vulnerable to people’s belief in this false information. I suggest that.