Mapping conspiracy beliefs and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada

The COVID-19 pandemic and the health guidelines aimed at limiting its transmission are affecting the mental health and well-being of Canadians. Evolving scientific knowledge and frequent adjustments to public health recommendations are contributing to the climate of uncertainty and loss of individual control that fosters the spread of misinformation and erroneous beliefs about the disease. The overall objective of the project will be to clarify the complex interrelationship between conspiracy beliefs and psychological distress, and to identify their underlying social determinants. The project is part of the pan-Canadian COHESION study, conducted on 10,000 individuals and families, which collects real-time data, via a downloadable mobile application, on anxiety-depressive symptoms, social interactions, mobility, activity spaces, living conditions and attitudes regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in order to understand how it affects health and social inequalities in health. An initial questionnaire and monthly follow-up questionnaires will make it possible to describe the spatiotemporal variations in indicators of psychological distress and erroneous beliefs related to the pandemic, and to analyze the effect of distal causes (e.g., social capital, neighborhood social environment) on their interrelation. The identification of social determinants and a common mapping of mental health and conspiracy beliefs could guide the current and future efforts of public health authorities in their outreach work with communities more reluctant to follow health instructions, especially as a mass vaccination campaign against COVID-19 approaches.