University Students: 25% Believe COVID Vaccines Are Chipped, 40% That Mask-Wearing Is Socio-Political Control, 40% in Mind Control, 20% in Chemtrails, 8% in Flat Earth ('Frontiers in Psychology')
University Students: 25% Believe COVID Vaccines Are Chipped, 40% That Mask-Wearing Is Socio-Political Control, 40% in Mind Control, 20% in Chemtrails, 8% in Flat Earth ('Frontiers in Psychology')
Students developed "conspiracy" theories during the pandemic—highest rates of mental disorder, self-injury, suicide rate among those identified as "non-binary gender" and those under lockdown.
A new study published this month in Frontiers in Psychology revealed several significant mental health effects that COVID-19 lockdowns imposed on university students, as well as the group’s acceptance of so-called “conspiracy” theories.
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The study aimed to calculate the incidence of mental disorders and their causes in university students from eleven countries during the COVID pandemic: Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, India, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Russia.
The study included 12,488 subjects aged between 17 and 30 years, with the following gender breakdown:
9,026 female (72.27 %; aged 21.11 ± 2.53)
3,329 male (26.65%; aged 21.61 ± 2.81)
133 “non-binary gender” (1.06%; aged 21.02 ± 2.98)
At the time of the interviews, 17.11% of university students were under “strict lockdown,” 41.90% were so “a high degree,” and 24.95% “partially.”
Only 16.03% were under “no lockdown at all.”
Data were collected anonymously online from April 2020 through March 2021.
The study found “high rates” of depression, dysphoria, and suicidal thoughts among university students during the COVID pandemic, but especially during periods of strict lockdown.
It was “complete lockdown which manifested significantly higher depression rates in comparison to all the other states of lockdown,” the authors state.
The study also found a “high” prevalence of conspiracism among students, even including medical conspiracy theories in medical students.
More than 50% of university students reported that their time spent outside the house was “less than humanly necessary or worse.”
While more than 90% considered exercise to be very important during the pandemic, more individuals experienced a decrease in physical activity.
Eating increased in 40% of students, and about 20% were eating in an “unhealthier way.”
More than 30% put on more weight.
Half of students increased the time spent on the internet, and nearly two-thirds increased the use of social media.
Close to 25% took on “new internet habits.”
Sleep worsened in roughly 45% of students, with more than 50% going to sleep late and 20% having nightmares.
Smoking increased in 25%, alcohol use in nearly 40%, and illegal substance use in 25%.
Sexual life was poor in about 45% with a decrease in desire in around 20%.
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Past Mental Disorders, Self-injury, Suicide Attempts
Mental health history was reported by 3,258 university students (26.09%; B5).
The lowest rate was observed in males (study type C) and the highest in “non-binary gender” (study type A).
“The presence of history of any mental disorder had a RR of 2.04 for the development of depression which was highest for ‘non-binary gender,’” the study authors confirm.
Anxiety ranged from 4.95% in males (type C studies) to 13.95% in “non-binary gender” (study type A) and 13.27% in females (study type C).
Depression ranged from 7.96% in males (type C studies) to 22.73% in “non-binary gender” (study type C).
There was a higher rate of females than males with a history of any mental disorders (1.5:1), while the rate of “non-binary gender” was 1.48 compared to females and 2.22 compared to males.
History of self-injury (at least once) was present in 25.43% of university students, with the highest rate in “non-binary gender” in type C studies (47.73%) and the lowest in males in type B studies (17.87%).
Suicidal attempt (at least once) was reported by 7.24% of university students, with the highest rate reported by “non-binary gender” in study type A (25.58%) and the lowest in males of type C studies (5.55%).
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Current Mental Disorders, Self-injury, Suicide Attempts
Probable depression was found in 25.81% of university students: 29.19% of females and 16.10% of males.
The highest rate of current depression was observed in females and type of studies B or C with a history of bipolar disorder (63.33% and 72.73%) or psychosis (60.71% and 61.29%), according to the study.
“Non-binary gender” had “very high rates” with any history or type of studies.
Dysphoria was present in 15.66% of students: 16.10% of females and 14.29% of males.
The study noted the lowest rate of depression was observed in Nigeria (4.94%) and the highest in Lithuania (43.88%).
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Beliefs in ‘Conspiracy’ Theories
The study authors reported the rates of conspiratorial beliefs showed no overall differences among the sexes.
Close to 25% of university students in the type A studies had “surprisingly high” acceptance of the belief that COVID vaccines “include a chip.”
The study revealed that even “health-related” university studies had “surprisingly high acceptance rates of COVID-19 conspiracy theories.”
Almost 40% of students believe that facemask-wearing “could be a method of socio-political control.”
One-third of persons in the type A studies were skeptical toward vaccines in general.
More theories accepted by college students, per the study:
20% accepted the chemtrail conspiracy
20% disputed climate change
40% were not precluding that mind control devices are used upon the population
45% believed that experiments involving new drugs and technologies are systematically performed secretly on the population
8% accepted the flat earth theory
The authors were “astonish[ed]” to find that flat earth theory was embraced by close to 5.5% of medical students (1.5% “strongly”), with an additional 2.8% being open to it.
The authors noted that having beliefs in so-called conspiracies was “lower in persons without dysphoria or depression, intermediate in those with dysphoria, and higher in those with current probable depression.”
Interestingly, there was no relationship between having a history of any mental disorders and conspiracism.
You can download the full study below:
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