A latent profile analysis of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs: Associations with thinking styles, mistrust, socio-political control, need for closure and verbal intelligence

Jones, C Allyson; Galbraith, Niall; Boyda, David; Martin, David V.; Jackson, Kimberley T

doi:10.1016/j.paid.2023.112155

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…As childhood trauma is common, particularly among psychiatric outpatients (Devi et al, 2019), future research would benefit from conducting longitudinal studies to assess differences in how conspiracy theory beliefs present and progress across time when present in those who experience childhood trauma. Likewise, the relationship between mistrust at home in adolescence and belief in conspiracy theories is of interest; adult studies have reported relationships between belief in conspiracy theories and mistrust (Jones et al, 2023; Simione et al, 2021). Mistrust in adolescence, particularly mistrust at home, might present in wholly different ways to general mistrust in others or institutional mistrust, and as such should be scrutinized more closely.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite ongoing epistemological debate regarding classification and definition (Duetz & Dentith, 2022), empirical researchers generally define conspiracy theories as a belief that global events are manipulated by small groups of actors, with the intent to carry out covert malevolent acts (Swami et al, 2011). A wide range of factors are associated with belief in conspiracy theories, including personality traits (March & Springer, 2019), cognitive factors (Jones et al, 2023), stress (Swami et al, 2016), epistemic processes (Douglas et al, 2016; Leman & Cinnirella, 2013), intergroup threat (Imhoff & Bruder, 2014), analytic thinking (Pytlik et al, 2020; Swami et al, 2014), and group identity (Cichocka et al, 2015). However, while much is now known about the endorsement of conspiracy theories in adult populations, very little information is available on how such beliefs begin to form before adulthood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Conspiracy theory beliefs in the adolescent population: A systematic review

Byrne,

Martin,

Jones

et al. 2024

Journal of Adolescence

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IntroductionWhile the study of conspiracy theory beliefs is a relatively new research area, there has been a rise in academic interest in recent years. The literature provides evidence of relationships between conspiracy theory beliefs and a range of factors, but the vast majority of studies are limited to adult samples, and it is unclear how such beliefs present in adolescence.MethodsThe systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA‐S format. Relevant databases were searched up to February 23, 2023, for quantitative studies related to adolescent conspiracy theory beliefs.ResultsThe six included articles show that conspiracy theory beliefs are present from the start of adolescence, and stable from age 14 upwards, with correlations reported for mistrust and paranoid thinking. Negative relationships were reported for cognitive factors such as ontological confusion, cognitive ability, and actively open‐minded thinking. Health‐related beliefs correlated with adverse childhood experiences, peer problems, conduct, and sociodemographic factors. Right‐wing authoritarianism and anxiety positively correlated with intergroup conspiracy theory beliefs.ConclusionWhile some factors from adult studies are replicated in the review, there are differences between age groups. The age at which conspiracy theory beliefs begin to form indicate developmental aspects of adolescence, and possibly childhood, that require further examination. Cognitive factors show promise for interventions and should be explored further. However, the lack of studies using adolescent populations is an issue that must be resolved for a greater understanding of conspiracy theory beliefs and a move toward effective interventions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conspiracy theory beliefs in the adolescent population: A systematic review

Byrne,

Martin,

Jones

et al. 2024

Journal of Adolescence

Self Cite

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“…However, previous research also evidenced that creativity and intelligence are strongly positively related, even overlapping constructs [67][68][69], while the links between conspiracy beliefs and intelligence have proven to be negative [70]. Therefore, this study aimed to examine whether creativity is negatively linked to conspiracy beliefs.…”

Section: Creativitymentioning

confidence: 91%

Exploring the Nexus between Conspiracy Beliefs and Creativity, Attitudes toward People, and Psychological Wellbeing: Insights from the 10th European Social Survey

Dirzyte

2023

Sustainability

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Conspiracy beliefs can have a significant destructive impact on sustainable development. When individuals embrace conspiracy theories, it can result in social mistrust, polarization, and even harmful behaviors. Previous studies linked creativity to intelligence and fairly evidenced links between conspiracy beliefs and paranoid thinking and diminished psychological wellbeing. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the associations between conspiracy beliefs and creativity, negative attitudes toward people, and psychological wellbeing. Based on the data derived from the ESS10, several relationships using mediation and SEM analyses were disclosed. The study confirmed that positive attitudes toward people significantly negatively predict conspiracy beliefs and significantly positively predict psychological wellbeing and self-reported creativity, while psychological wellbeing significantly negatively predicts conspiracy beliefs and is a mediator in the links between attitudes toward people and conspiracy beliefs. The SEM model demonstrated an acceptable fit, χ2 = 987.210; Df = 16; CFI = 0.989; TLI = 0.975; NFI = 0.989; RMSEA = 0.040 [0.038–0.042], SRMR = 0.039. The study supported the insights of A. Hon that “conspiracy theories thrive in the absence of trust”. However, there are several avenues for future research to address potential limitations, including using more comprehensive scales, employing diverse research methods, controlling for confounding variables, or exploring potential moderating variables, such as personality traits or cultural factors.

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“…There is also reliance on influencers who are not authorized in the field of health or who post about the pandemic even though they are not authorized to make statements about the pandemic. However, the literature has mostly associated this trust with conspiracy theories (Desta & Mulugeta, 2020; Enders et al, 2021; Jones et al, 2023). Accordingly, echo chambers and polarization of opinion on social media sometimes trigger dangerous situations, which in turn feed the belief in conspiracy theories (Cinelli et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Did we trust in science during the COVID‐19 pandemic? Modeling the relationship between trust, awareness, and conspiracy theories

Küçükaydın

Esen

Geçer

2023

Applied Cognitive Psychology

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Height on the COVID‐19 pandemic (2020–2021), a considerable atmosphere of uncertainty and insecurity has emerged throughout the world. At the same time, social media and conspiracy theories have gained a lot of popularity. However, due to the impact of science and scientists on the public countering these sources of information, the outcome of the test given by science during the pandemic is still unclear. In this study, the relationship between trust in science and scientists, reliance on social media, belief in conspiracy theories, and pandemic awareness is modeled. A total of 953 adults from Turkey participated in the study and the obtained data were analyzed with the structural equation model. According to the results of the path analysis, reliance on social media influencers and belief in conspiracy theories affect trust in science both directly and indirectly. In addition, there is a positive relationship between pandemic awareness and trust in science.

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A latent profile analysis of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs: Associations with thinking styles, mistrust, socio-political control, need for closure and verbal intelligence

Cited by 9 publications

References 62 publications

Conspiracy theory beliefs in the adolescent population: A systematic review

Conspiracy theory beliefs in the adolescent population: A systematic review

Exploring the Nexus between Conspiracy Beliefs and Creativity, Attitudes toward People, and Psychological Wellbeing: Insights from the 10th European Social Survey

Did we trust in science during the COVID‐19 pandemic? Modeling the relationship between trust, awareness, and conspiracy theories

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