Fake news: Why do we believe it?

Analysis regarding the impact of 'fake news' on the quality of life of the population in a region affected by earthquake activity. The case of Romania-Northern Oltenia

Purpose

The study aims to examine the impact of the wave of seismic activity in the northern region of Oltenia (Gorj County, Romania) in February 2023 and the belief in 'fake news' (circulated regarding causality, manifestations, and future developments of the seismic activity) on the quality of life of the affected population. It was considered opportune to conduct this study, given the novelty of such a situation, as the mentioned geographical area is not known to have a high seismic risk.

Methods

The study was built based on the questionnaire to which 975 respondents, present/residing in Gorj County during the earthquakes and at least 14 days after, and with a minimum age of 18 years, responded. The data was collected between February 27, 2023, and March 31, 2023, at a reasonable time interval from the recording of the first seismic event in the region, assuming that the respondents' opinions regarding the negative impact of seismic events on societal life are well crystallized. The aim was to obtain information and analyze it in order to establish the respondents' perception regarding the negative effects of seismic activity and the elements of "fake news" promoted in this context on the quality of life of individuals in the region.

Results

Our study indicates that individuals who are not concerned, due to their disbelief in "fake news" information, about the possibility of new strong earthquakes in the mentioned area feel the best physically, having an average satisfaction level of 82.80 (with a standard deviation of 19.70) on the WHOQOL-BREF scale. On the other hand, those who believed in the fake news experienced the lowest levels of psychological well-being, with an average satisfaction of 60.80 (and a standard deviation of 21.98). The WHOQOL-BREF is an instrument that assesses the quality of life across four distinct domains, and this study emphasizes the importance of accurate and trustworthy information for people's well-being.

Conclusion

The results of the study highlight that the quality of life indicators of people in the geographic area affected by the wave of seismic movements are negatively impacted due to the release of "fake news" in the public domain regarding the cause of seismic movements in Gorj county (and the previous earthquakes in Turkey) and their future manifestations and developments (the possibility of high magnitude seismic movements), as well as the lack of information provided by the public authorities on the issue at hand (causes, effects, future manifestations, management measures).

The impact of misinformation on patient perceptions at a men's health clinic: a cross-sectional study

Misinformation is a rising concern for providers and patients alike. We aimed to assess where patients acquire information prior to their andrological urologic appointment and assess patients' perception regarding the reliability of this information. A cross-sectional study was conducted at an outpatient men's health clinic between June and August of 2022 with questionnaires distributed to adult males seen for their primary visit. The study included 314 consenting adult patients who independently completed the questionnaire (mean age: 51.2 ± 17.2). Overall, 55.1% of patients indicated they searched for their condition online. However, 39.2% and 27.7% of respondents agreed and strongly agreed, respectively, that misinformation is a concern when searching for health information. Only 59.9% of patients discussed their concerns with others and those that did not chose not wanting to (65.1%) as their top choice. However, 27.4% of respondents were embarrassed to do so. Finally, 38.2% and 12.4% of patients agreed and strongly agreed, that learning information prior to your appointment affects their relationship with the physician. These findings emphasize the need for urologists to be aware of where their patients are gathering health information and to address concerns regarding misinformation.

Fake news during the war in Ukraine: coping strategies and fear of war in the general population of Romania and in aid workers

Introduction

In addition to the health crisis that erupted during the COVID-19 pandemic, the war between Russia and Ukraine is impacting the mental health and wellbeing of the Romanian population in a negative way.

Objectives

This study sets out to investigate the impact that social media consumption and an overload of information related to the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine is having on the distribution of fake news among Romanians. In addition, it explores the way in which several psychological features, including resilience, general health, perceived stress, coping strategies, and fear of war, change as a function of exposure to traumatic events or interaction with victims of war.

Methods

Participants (N = 633) completed the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), the CERQ scale with its nine subscales, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and the BRS scale (Brief Resilience Scale), the last of which measures resilience. Information overload, information strain and the likelihood of the person concerned spreading fake news were assessed by adapting items related to these variables.

Findings

Our results suggest that information strain partially moderates the relationship between information overload and the tendency to spread false information. Also, they indicate that information strain partially moderates the relationship between time spent online and the tendency to spread false information. Furthermore, our findings imply that there are differences of high and moderate significance between those who worked with refugees and those who did not as regards fear of war and coping strategies. We found no practical differences between the two groups as regards general health, level of resilience and perceived stress.

Conclusion and recommendations

The importance of discovering the reasons why people share false information is discussed, as is the need to adopt strategies to combat this behavior, including infographics and games designed to teach people how to detect fake news. At the same time, aid workers need to be further supported to maintain a high level of psychological wellbeing.

Addressing the spread of health-related misinformation on social networks: an opinion article

This article deals with the spread of misinformation in a general context and specifically in the health sector. It presents a theoretical view of the problem and analyzes its characteristics with a focus on medicine and mainly rheumatology. Finally, conclusions from the previous analysis are formulated as well as suggestions for reducing the dimensions of the problem in the health sector.

Narcissism in the context of stress: the influence of learned information on attitudes and stress outcomes

Previous research indicates narcissism can aid stress management. Nonetheless, its common perception and dissemination as socially aversive may hamper its acknowledgment and use as an asset in the context of stress. This experimental study investigated the effects of receiving positive or negative information (i.e., prompts) about narcissism in the context of stress on attitudes towards this trait’s association with stress. It also assessed individuals’ experiences of narcissism’s stress-coping properties when one believes themselves to be a high narcissism scorer, via an online survey. Hundred and five adults ($${M}_{age}$$ M age = 32.0; 22–64 years) completed measures of state-stress, music preferences, and narcissism. They were then randomly assigned to either the positive or negative prompt groups, being shown information highlighting the positive or negative impact of narcissism on stress management, respectively. Participants were then informed they scored above average on narcissism, despite their actual questionnaire scores, and undertook a stress-inducing procedure. Self-reported stress, implicit and explicit attitudes were measured pre- and post-prompt presentation. Results showed that, while prompts did not influence attitudes nor stress outcomes, individuals displayed neutral implicit attitudes towards narcissism’s association with stress across measurement timepoints. These findings suggest that people’s attitudes towards narcissism in the context of stress have not been deteriorated by this trait’s predominant negative depiction outside this context. Therefore, the dissemination and establishment of narcissism as an asset for stress-coping may be received by the general population with less resistance than anticipated.