Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences explained cases of dissemination of myths about vaccinations by physicians

Doctors during the epidemic are subject to the same psychological trauma as people without a medical education, Timofei Nestik, a researcher on the impact of Covid on psychology, explained.Some start looking for a foothold in conspiracy theories

Physicians, as well as people without a medical background, may believe in the myths around vaccination because of the loss of a foothold and the desire to find emotional support amid the psychological trauma caused by the pandemic. Timofey Nestik, professor, curator of research on the impact of Covid on psychology at the Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said this in an interview with RBC.

“Regardless of the level of education, we are all vulnerable, and a person will find a structure that will make this or that conspiracy theory consistent for him. So he again finds a foothold, receives emotional support from other similar followers of the conspiracy theory, ”he explained.

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According to a survey conducted by the Institute of Psychology of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the summer of 2021, among 2 thousand citizens, 62% of those who did not plan to be vaccinated in the near future said that it was doctors they knew who did not advise them to get vaccinated against coronavirus. According to the professor, such a position of doctors can be due to both specialization, level of knowledge, and a decrease in social trust, negative experience of reforms and psychological trauma accumulated during the pandemic.

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