Belief in COVID-19 misinformation: Hopeful claims are rated as truer

Misinformation surrounding COVID-19 spread rapidly and widely, posing a significant threat to public health. Here, we examined whether some types of misinformation are more believable than others, to the extent that they offer people hope in uncertain times. An initial group of subjects rated a series of COVID-19 misinformation statements for whether each made them feel more or less hopeful (if true). Based on these ratings, we selected two sets of misinformation that differed in their average rated hopefulness;the two sets did not differ in word length or reading ease. In two studies, people rated their belief in each statement. Results from both studies revealed that people rated the more hopeful misinformation (e.g., COVID cures and prevention methods) as truer than less hopeful misinformation (e.g., transmission vectors). These findings are consistent with a motivated reasoning account of misinformation acceptance. © 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Belief in COVID‐19 misinformation: Hopeful claims are rated as truer

Misinformation surrounding COVID‐19 spread rapidly and widely, posing a significant threat to public health. Here, we examined whether some types of misinformation are more believable than others, to the extent that they offer people hope in uncertain times. An initial group of subjects rated a series of COVID‐19 misinformation statements for whether each made them feel more or less hopeful (if true). Based on these ratings, we selected two sets of misinformation that differed in their average rated hopefulness;the two sets did not differ in word length or reading ease. In two studies, people rated their belief in each statement. Results from both studies revealed that people rated the more hopeful misinformation (e.g., COVID cures and prevention methods) as truer than less hopeful misinformation (e.g., transmission vectors). These findings are consistent with a motivated reasoning account of misinformation acceptance. [ FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between real-life social support and Internet addiction among the elderly in China.

Internet addiction among the elderly is a novel issue in many countries. However, extant research about excessive use of the Internet is focusing on adolescents and younger adults. There are few studies to explore the topic of the elderly's Internet addiction. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between real-life social support and Internet addiction among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article adopted a self-reported questionnaire via internet links to collect data. A total of 303 valid samples about Internet addiction for the elderly were obtained in China. The results suggested that real-life social support is significantly and negatively related to Internet addiction among the aged. Moreover, the findings revealed that real-life social support could mitigate Internet addiction by increasing the levels of hopefulness and decreasing the feeling of loneliness. We expect that this study can enrich the understanding of the problematic Internet usage within older populations. Finally, the contributions, practical significance, and limitations of this study were discussed.

Reflexivity in Action: Building Student Resilience During a Pandemic

The current novel coronavirus, COVID-19, has transformed social work tertiary education delivery across the world. In this case, the university's response was to initiate a hasty transition from a 'blended' program, comprised of both the use of technology and face to face components, into an entirely online learning model. This scenario suggested a need for academics to be open to creative ways of building and maintaining relationships with students to facilitate positive learning outcomes and student wellbeing. This article uses reflexivity to examine two vignettes that present our responses to students' collective and individual issues experienced during the COVID-19 isolation period in Australia. A reflexive lens illuminated the role of practical, emotional, and relational work in social work education in a virtual context. Specifically, this article offers important insights for academics concerning ways social work students and academics may work together to create a sense of hopefulness during uncertain times.

Reimagining quarantine: Assuring hopefulness in nursing and healthcare.

This article aimed to explore issues of concern related to quarantine, its social consequences and influences, challenging its effects on human behavioral expressions during social isolation. The advent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic impacted human lives in multifarious ways, threatening the meaning of normalcy. Quarantine, lockdown, isolation, and other terms reflecting conditions limiting human freedoms have become synonymous in importance to safety, security, and survival. To understand human defiance in the face of maintaining limited mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic, reimagining situations of "unfreedoms" is explained as thinking of changes to inspire and improve the meaning of living lives meaningfully. During the pandemic, issues regarding healthcare practices and social behaviors focused much attention on interactive challenges that enhance ways to mitigate the spread of contagious diseases. Illuminating these issues, discussing concerns and highlighting recommendations to engage in alternative approaches and practices, heightens the declaration of efficiency of quarantine outcomes and effectiveness. Implications are proposed with the hope that they may lead the way forward in exercising contemporary healthcare practices.

The effectiveness of motivational messages to intensive care unit nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the effect of motivational messages on optimism, hopelessness, and life satisfaction of intensive care nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. STUDY DESIGN: This is a multicentre, randomized controlled, open-label study. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY/DESIGN: The study was conducted with a total of 87 nurses working in the COVID-19 intensive care units of three hospitals in Istanbul. Motivational messages were sent via SMS to the participants in the motivational group (n = 41) for 21 days. The data were obtained using a Personal Information Form, the Life Orientation Test, Beck Hopelessness Scale and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. RESULTS: The nurses' mean age in the motivational and control groups was 28.4 ± 7.6 and 26.9 ± 3.7 years, respectively. Before the messages, no statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of life orientation (p = 0.059), hopelessness (p = 0.214), and satisfaction with life (p = 0.898) scores. After the messages, life orientation (p = 0.042) and life satisfaction (p = 0.040) scores were significantly higher in the motivational group compared with the control group, and the hopelessness score was significantly lower (p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: According to our study, motivational messages sent to intensive care nurses during the pandemic increased their level of optimism and life satisfaction and decreased their level of hopelessness. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT04751474.

Associations between critical consciousness and well-being in a national sample of college students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Critical consciousness (CC) may promote well-being, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a national survey of 707 college students conducted in April 2020, we first validated the Short Critical Consciousness Scale (ShoCCS) among youth groups not often specifically examined in CC measurement (i.e., Asian, immigrant-origin, LGBQ+, and women youth). Next, we examined associations between ShoCCS subscales and validated measures of both anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7) and hopefulness (The Individual-Differences Measure in Hopefulness). The ShoCCS achieved measurement invariance across racial/ethnic groups and immigrant-origin status, and partial invariance among LGBQ+ and women-identifying youth. We found critical reflection and action associated with anxiety for the full sample, but no evidence of moderation by sociodemographic factors. ShoCCS subscales were differentially associated with hopefulness for Asian youth and LGBQ+ youth. This study contributes to the evolution of CC measurement and extends the field by identifying well-being associations during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.