The role of defense styles and psychopathological symptoms on adherence to conspiracy theories during the COVID-19 pandemic

Gioia, Francesca; Imperato, Chiara; Franceschini, Christian; Schimmenti, Adriano; Musetti, Alessandro

doi:10.1038/s41598-023-30531-0

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…In our study, anxiety and fear of contagion beliefs, were both negatively associated with CI. A potential explanation for this finding is that, even though increased uncertainty and higher anxiety can be a predisposing factor for belief in conspiracy theories, once these have been adopted as explanations for the stressful events, they become a coping mechanism, helping people regain a sense of control (Gioia et al, 2023;Poon et al, 2020;Swami et al, 2016) and reducing anxiety. This is consistent with accounts of conspiracy theories that see them as a form of coping with stress (De Coninck et al, 2021;Kossowska and Bukowski, 2015;Moulding et al, 2016).…”

Section: Fear Of Contagion Beliefs As Heightened Sensitivity To the C...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Conspiracies and contagion: COVID-19 related beliefs and associated mental health symptomatology

Pérez-Gay Juárez,

Solomonova,

Nephtali

et al. 2023

Preprint

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The COVID-19 pandemic brought about unique challenges, leading to a simultaneous decline in global mental well-being and an increase in perceived social threats. The present study explores the interplay between COVID-19 beliefs and mental health symptoms in a multinational sample of 1500 individuals primarily from Canada, the US and Mexico. Between May 2020 and February 2021, participants completed an online survey assessing somatic symptoms, anxiety, depression, alexithymia and psychotic-like symptoms, along with the newly developed COVID-19 beliefs questionnaire (CBQ). The CBQ consisted of a series of statements corresponding to different beliefs about the origins and effects of the virus and it revealed two dimensions through Exploratory Factor Analysis: Fear of contagion of COVID-19 and COVID-19 denial/conspiratorial ideation.Correlation analyses and linear regressions revealed a negative correlation between these two belief patterns as well their distinct associations with mental health symptoms. Fear of contagion was positively predicted by somatic symptoms and anxiety. In contrast, COVID-19 denial/conspiratorial ideation was positively predicted by positive psychotic-like experiences, alexithymia, and depression, and negatively predicted by negative psychotic-like symptoms. Furthermore, the relationship between positive psychotic-like symptoms and CI was mediated negatively by negative psychotic-like symptoms, suggesting that individuals with higher self-reported delusional ideation and bizarre experiences but lower avolition during the pandemic were the most likely to endorse COVID-19 related conspiracy theories. We provide an interpretation of these results according to which these two profiles represent distinct doxastic threat responses, shaped by the interaction between the non-specific pandemic distress response and individual proneness to mental health symptomatology.

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Section: Fear Of Contagion Beliefs As Heightened Sensitivity To the C...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Conspiracies and contagion: COVID-19 related beliefs and associated mental health symptomatology

Pérez-Gay Juárez,

Solomonova,

Nephtali

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…Because when a public health crisis occurs, such as an epidemic, people find themselves in a state of uncertainty regarding the transmission and its potential health effects [10]. This uncertainty not only forces people to deal with a lot of questions but also fuels conspiracies and unfounded claims [11][12][13][14]. As stated in many studies (e.g., [15][16][17][18][19]), to avoid the uncertainty that might have such negative implications and to make the right decisions during an outbreak, individuals tend to seek information about the epidemic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relationship Between Communicative Actions, Behavioral Intentions, and Corporate Reputation in the Framework of Situational Theory of Problem Solving in a Public Health Crisis

Akbulut

2023

Int J Public Health

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Objectives: This study aims to determine the individuals’ communicative actions based on the basic assumptions of the situational theory of problem solving (STOPS) and the effect of these actions on people’s willingness to follow WHO’s instructions in the event of an epidemic. It also seeks to determine the impact of corporate reputation on people’s communicative actions and intention to follow instructions.Methods: Data were collected digitally from 261 graduate students enrolled at a state university in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. A structural equation model (SEM) was employed for data analysis.Results: Perceptual antecedents affected situational motivation, and situational motivation affected communicative actions. Communicative actions were a determining factor in individuals’ willingness to follow instructions. The perception of corporate reputation influenced both communicative actions and people’s willingness to follow instructions.Conclusion: The study revealed that STOPS can provide an important theoretical framework for more effective risk communication practices in public health crises such as epidemics. It also displayed the relationship between the individuals’ communicative actions and their willingness to follow instructions and the determining effect of corporate reputation on both of these factors.

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Conspiracies and contagion: Two patterns of COVID-19 related beliefs associated with distinct mental symptomatology

Pérez-Gay Juárez,

Solomonova,

Nephtali

et al. 2024

Psychiatry Research Communications

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The role of defense styles and psychopathological symptoms on adherence to conspiracy theories during the COVID-19 pandemic

Cited by 4 publications

References 67 publications

Conspiracies and contagion: COVID-19 related beliefs and associated mental health symptomatology

Conspiracies and contagion: COVID-19 related beliefs and associated mental health symptomatology

The Relationship Between Communicative Actions, Behavioral Intentions, and Corporate Reputation in the Framework of Situational Theory of Problem Solving in a Public Health Crisis

Conspiracies and contagion: Two patterns of COVID-19 related beliefs associated with distinct mental symptomatology

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