COVID-19 related conspiracy beliefs and their relationship with defense strategies, emotions, powerlessness, attitudes, and time perspective
The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted individual’s life and society, and such an emergency has increased the likelihood of recurring conspiratorial thinking. There is much research on broader conspiratorial thinking and studies on COVID-19-related conspiratorial thinking has been growing worldw...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.939615/full |
| _version_ | 1828726441827631104 |
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| author | Giovanna Celia Giulia Lausi Laura Girelli Elisa Cavicchiolo Pierpaolo Limone Anna Maria Giannini Mauro Cozzolino |
| author_facet | Giovanna Celia Giulia Lausi Laura Girelli Elisa Cavicchiolo Pierpaolo Limone Anna Maria Giannini Mauro Cozzolino |
| author_sort | Giovanna Celia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted individual’s life and society, and such an emergency has increased the likelihood of recurring conspiratorial thinking. There is much research on broader conspiratorial thinking and studies on COVID-19-related conspiratorial thinking has been growing worldwide, moreover, the negative consequences of COVID-19 specific conspiratorial beliefs for people’s health are clear. However, person-centered research aiming at identify groups of individuals who share patterns of relations between COVID-19 specific conspiratorial beliefs and other psychological features is still scarce. A sample of 1.002 people (18–40 years old, M = 23; SD = 5.19) responded to a questionnaire administered online. The aim was to identify groups of individuals based on their beliefs about COVID-19 conspiracy theories and to compare the groups identified in terms of psychological characteristics associated such as automatic defense mechanisms, coping strategies, powerlessness, emotions, emotional regulation, attitudes toward the COVID-19, social distancing discontent, perceptions of COVID-19 severity and temporal perspective. A k-mean cluster analysis identified the groups of Believers (22.26%), Ambivalent believers (34.3%), and Non-believers (43.21%). The three groups differ particularly in terms of defense mechanisms, and time perspective. Results suggested the need to tailor interventions for individuals believing in COVID-19 conspiratorial theories based on differences in the psychological characteristics among the three groups. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T13:42:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-99e55ec8629f433ea2c32fc1e30763e8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T13:42:08Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-99e55ec8629f433ea2c32fc1e30763e82022-12-22T03:30:49ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782022-10-011310.3389/fpsyg.2022.939615939615COVID-19 related conspiracy beliefs and their relationship with defense strategies, emotions, powerlessness, attitudes, and time perspectiveGiovanna Celia0Giulia Lausi1Laura Girelli2Elisa Cavicchiolo3Pierpaolo Limone4Anna Maria Giannini5Mauro Cozzolino6Department of Humanities, Literature, Cultural Heritage, Education Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia, ItalyDepartment of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, ItalyDepartment of Human, Philosophical and Educational Sciences, University of Salerno, Fisciano, ItalyDepartment of Human, Philosophical and Educational Sciences, University of Salerno, Fisciano, ItalyDepartment of Humanities, Literature, Cultural Heritage, Education Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia, ItalyDepartment of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, ItalyDepartment of Human, Philosophical and Educational Sciences, University of Salerno, Fisciano, ItalyThe COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted individual’s life and society, and such an emergency has increased the likelihood of recurring conspiratorial thinking. There is much research on broader conspiratorial thinking and studies on COVID-19-related conspiratorial thinking has been growing worldwide, moreover, the negative consequences of COVID-19 specific conspiratorial beliefs for people’s health are clear. However, person-centered research aiming at identify groups of individuals who share patterns of relations between COVID-19 specific conspiratorial beliefs and other psychological features is still scarce. A sample of 1.002 people (18–40 years old, M = 23; SD = 5.19) responded to a questionnaire administered online. The aim was to identify groups of individuals based on their beliefs about COVID-19 conspiracy theories and to compare the groups identified in terms of psychological characteristics associated such as automatic defense mechanisms, coping strategies, powerlessness, emotions, emotional regulation, attitudes toward the COVID-19, social distancing discontent, perceptions of COVID-19 severity and temporal perspective. A k-mean cluster analysis identified the groups of Believers (22.26%), Ambivalent believers (34.3%), and Non-believers (43.21%). The three groups differ particularly in terms of defense mechanisms, and time perspective. Results suggested the need to tailor interventions for individuals believing in COVID-19 conspiratorial theories based on differences in the psychological characteristics among the three groups.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.939615/fullCOVID-19 conspiratorial thinkingcluster analysisdefense mechanismscoping strategiestime perspective |
| spellingShingle | Giovanna Celia Giulia Lausi Laura Girelli Elisa Cavicchiolo Pierpaolo Limone Anna Maria Giannini Mauro Cozzolino COVID-19 related conspiracy beliefs and their relationship with defense strategies, emotions, powerlessness, attitudes, and time perspective Frontiers in Psychology COVID-19 conspiratorial thinking cluster analysis defense mechanisms coping strategies time perspective |
| title | COVID-19 related conspiracy beliefs and their relationship with defense strategies, emotions, powerlessness, attitudes, and time perspective |
| title_full | COVID-19 related conspiracy beliefs and their relationship with defense strategies, emotions, powerlessness, attitudes, and time perspective |
| title_fullStr | COVID-19 related conspiracy beliefs and their relationship with defense strategies, emotions, powerlessness, attitudes, and time perspective |
| title_full_unstemmed | COVID-19 related conspiracy beliefs and their relationship with defense strategies, emotions, powerlessness, attitudes, and time perspective |
| title_short | COVID-19 related conspiracy beliefs and their relationship with defense strategies, emotions, powerlessness, attitudes, and time perspective |
| title_sort | covid 19 related conspiracy beliefs and their relationship with defense strategies emotions powerlessness attitudes and time perspective |
| topic | COVID-19 conspiratorial thinking cluster analysis defense mechanisms coping strategies time perspective |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.939615/full |
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