Appearance of Sensor Aberrations among Eastern Siberia Residents under Repeated Seismic Impacts

Strong earthquakes directly affect the natural environment, engineering infrastructure, and human health (including psycho-emotional state). In 2020–2021, a series of strong seismic events occurred in the southern Baikal region; they were felt over a large area and caused widespread public outcry. The Bystraya (September 21, 2020, M(w) = 5.6), Kudara (December 9, 2020, M(w) = 5.5), and Khövsgöl (January 11, 2021, M(w) = 6.8) earthquakes provided an infrequent opportunity to collect a large amount of factual data on the psychological reactions of eyewitnesses. Among other things, the concern of the population was expressed in false reports of tangible shaking that came through the internet questionnaire posted on the website of the Baikal Branch of the Federal Research Center Geophysical Survey of the Russian Academy of Sciences (FRC GS RAS) (http://seis-bykl.ru). A total of 1087 responses that cannot be unambiguously associated with the date and time of instrumentally recorded earthquakes were received from August 2020 to August 2021. A content analysis of false messages indicates that, against the background of high seismic activity, the population of the region experienced a deprivation of basic needs, increased anxiety, and an unstable psycho-emotional state. The rapid spread of COVID-19 was a complicating factor contributing to the emergence of stress in the population. The consequence of this was the emergence of learned helplessness, as well as the appearance of auditory, visual, and emotional aberrations. The results obtained in this study can be used to develop preventive measures to mitigate the socio-psychological consequences of future strong earthquakes.