Characterisation of a conspiracy believers and their mental health during the COVID-19 emergency state in Latvia.

Background: A wave of believers in conspiracies has emerged amid the COVID-19 crisis. The purpose of this study was to characterise an individual who believes in conspiracies and to discover whether believing in them is associated with mental health.

Methods: Data was collected as an online survey in a randomised, stratified cohort in July 2020 as a part of the National Research Program of Latvia. The precisely selected and segmented database corresponding to the general population of Latvia was used. Non-parametric tests to compare medians and Spearman correlation to measure the strength of the relationship were applied.

Results: The weighted study sample consisted of 2608 participants. A positive correlation was detected between age and belief in conspiracies among females ( = 0.061;  = 0.017). Median conspiracy theory points were significant as follows: individuals who have primary or high school education ( < 0.001) rather than higher education; females ( < 0.001) who resided in a town ( < 0.001) as opposed to occupying the capital; divorcees ( = 0.022) in contrast with those being in a relationship; along with those being unemployed ( < 0.001) compared to the employed, or students. Depressed respondents more often than healthy individuals believed that COVID-19 was created in a laboratory ( < 0.05), that this virus is a result of a 5G antenna ( < 0.05) and that it is a sign of divine power to destroy our planet ( = 0.001).

Conclusion: The important messages conveyed to the public should be reviewed so that they are more relatable and comprehensible. Furthermore, additional attention should be paid to critical thinking in education programs.