ABSTRACT
Introduction: Restrictions related to COVID-19 may affect aggressive behaviour. Increased incidence of gender-based, domestic, and intimate-partner violence was expected during the pandemic, however, retrospective analyses yielded contradicting results. Objective(s): Examine changes in frequency of assaults caused by pandemic restrictions, including separate analysis for male and female assault victims, for residential and non-residential location of assaults and for assaults related to domestic violence. Method(s): Weekly number of ambulance departures to injuries secondary to assaults in the Pilsen region, Czechia, during the COVID lockdown was compared to records from the three previous years usingANOVAand post hoc t-tests. Further, multilinear regression was used to model weekly number of ambulance departures between 1st January 2017 and 30th April 2021 based on presence of pandemic national emergency state, time, and seasonality. Result(s): During pandemic lockdown, ambulance departures to assaults dropped by 43% compared to equivalent periods of the three previous years. The decrease was notable specifically among departures to male victims and to assaults in non-residential areas, with only small decrease observed for female victims and assaults related to domestic violence and no change found in frequency of assaults happening at home. Conclusion(s): Lockdowns and restrictions of public life were associated with a decreased incidence of violent assaults. While the incidence decreased especially in males and in those assaulted outside of their homes, we found no support for an increase in domestic or gender related violence. Pandemic restrictions may serve as a protective rather than a risk factor for assaults.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Understanding the predictors of the willingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19 may aid in the resolution of current and future pandemics. Understanding the predictors of the willingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19 may aid in the resolution of current and future pandemics. Objective(s): We aim to investigate how the readiness to believe conspiracy theories and the three dimensions of health locus of control affect the attitude towards vaccination. Method(s): A cross-sectional study was conducted based on data from an online survey of a sample of Czech university students (n=866) collected in January 2021, using multivariate linear regression models and moderation analysis. Result(s): Sixty-six percent of Czech students wanted to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Forty percent of the variance of willingness to get vaccinated was explained by the belief in covid-related conspiracy theories and the powerful others dimension of health locus of control. One sixth of the variance of the willingness to get vaccinated was explained by health locus of control, cognitive reflection, and digital health literacy. Conclusion(s): Health locus of control and conspiracy mentality and its predictors are valid predictors of a hesitancy to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Campaigns promoting vaccination should target groups specifically vulnerable to conspiracy theories and lacking health locus of control related to powerful others.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Understanding the predictors of belief in covidrelated conspiracy theories and willingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19 may aid the resolution of current and future pandemics. Objective(s): We aim to investigate how psychological and cognitive characteristics influence general conspiracy mentality and covidrelated conspiracy theories. Method(s): A cross-sectional study was conducted based on data from an online survey of a sample of Czech university students (n=866) collected in January 2021, using multivariate linear regression and mediation analysis. Result(s): Sixteen percent of respondents believed that COVID-19 is a hoax;17% believed that COVID-19 was intentionally created by humans. Seven percent of the variance of the hoax theory and 10% of the variance of the creation theory was explained by (in descending order of relevance) low cognitive reflection, low digital health literacy, high experience with dissociation and, to some extent, high bullshit receptivity. Belief in covid-related conspiracy theories depended less on psychological and cognitive variables compared to conspiracy mentality (16% of the variance explained). The effect of digital health literacy on belief in covidrelated theories was moderated by cognitive reflection. Conclusion(s): Belief in conspiracy theories related to COVID-19 was influenced by experience with dissociation, cognitive reflection, digital health literacy and bullshit receptivity.
ABSTRACT
Effectiveness of the policy measures against the COVID-19 pandemic is reduced by spread of conspiracy theories. Moreover, conspiracy theories induce opposition to vaccines. The text shows that increased occurrence of conspiracy theories is a typical public reaction to a disaster and describes some of the mechanisms contributing to susceptibility to conspiracy explanations on the individual as well as societal level.