Conspiratorial Thinking During COVID-19: The Roles of Paranoia, Delusion-Proneness, and Intolerance of Uncertainty

Abstract

The COVID-19 global pandemic has left many feeling a sense of profound uncertainty about their world, safety, and livelihood. Sources espousing misinformation and conspiracy theories frequently offer information that can help make sense of this uncertainty. Individuals high in intolerance of uncertainty (IU) may be particularly impacted by the impoverished epistemic environment and may thus be more drawn to conspiratorial thinking (CT). In the present work, we show across 2 studies (N = 519) that COVID-19-specific CT is associated with higher levels of IU as well as delusion-proneness, and paranoia. Furthermore, delusion-proneness and paranoia explained the relationship between IU and CT and emerged as independent partial correlates of CT even when controlling for other facets of schizotypy. In contrast, anxiety did not explain the relationship between IU and CT. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of individual differences in IU, delusion-proneness and paranoia in the development of CT in the context of the acute uncertainty of a global crisis, in which conspiracy theories are more prevalent and salient. Informational intervention designs may benefit from leveraging the body of work demonstrating the efficacy of targeting IU to incite meaningful changes in thinking.

"COVID-19 spreads round the planet, and so do paranoid thoughts". A qualitative investigation into personal experiences of psychosis during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…In addition to change in psychotic experiences, the forum users also demonstrated a distrust of governments, and/or discussed COVID-related conspiracy theories. These findings complement the quantitative research that suggests a link between schizotypy, paranoia, and COVID-conspiracies in the general population (Ferreira et al, 2020 ; Kuhn et al, 2021 ; Larsen et al, 2021 ). Studies in diverse samples have suggested that belief in conspiracy theories relates to worsening of mental health (e.g., Chen et al, 2020 ; Leibovitz et al, 2021 ).…”

Antecedents and consequences of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs: A systematic review

“…The COVID-19 crisis is marked by many uncertainties about health and the economy ( Cipolletta and Ortu, 2020 ; Freckelton Qc, 2020 ; Jutzi et al, 2020 ), which can lead individuals to develop or adopt narratives, including conspiracy theories, to make sense of these events ( Wagner-Egger et al, 2011 ), hereby satisfying epistemic needs (i.e., needs for knowledge and certainty). Indeed, higher levels of uncertainty ( Miller, 2020a , b ) and intolerance or avoidance of uncertainty have been related to higher levels of COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs ( Alper et al, 2020 ; Larsen et al, 2021 ) and conspiracy mentality ( Farias and Pilati, 2021 ; Maftei and Holman, 2022 ).…”

“…People scoring high on the Dark Tetrad traits (e.g., Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism; Chabrol et al, 2009 ) are more likely to endorse COVID-19 conspiracy theories ( Gligorić et al, 2021 ; Hughes and Machan, 2021 ; Kay, 2020 , 2021b ; Malesza, 2021 ). This may be the result of a tendency of high-scorers to distrust others and suffer from delusions (e.g., believing that other people can read one's mind) ( Kay, 2021a , b ; Larsen et al, 2021 ; Meuer and Imhoff, 2021 ). Indeed, lower interpersonal trust was associated with COVID-19 conspiracy belief in participants from Germany, New Zealand, Portugal, and Serbia ( De Coninck et al, 2021 ; van Mulukom, 2021 ), but not from 15 Latin American countries ( Jovančević and Milićević, 2020 ).…”

“…Narcissistic individuals, in contrast, appear to be drawn to these theories because they are excessively preoccupied with the opinions others hold about them ( Cichocka et al, 2016a ; Kay, 2021b ). This excessive preoccupation is believed to breed mistrust and paranoia, which has, in turn, been associated with believing in COVID-19 conspiracy theories ( Jolley and Paterson, 2020 ; Kuhn et al, 2021 ; Larsen et al, 2021 ).…”

Implementation of MHCA 2017 and Formation of Mental Health Review Boards: Current Status of IPS South Zone Territory

“…We examined the notifications of MHCA rules and the formation of SMHA and MHRB across the Indian Psychiatric Society South Zone territories. 5 A rapid review of pertinent central and state government notifications and gazettes was Letters to the Editor undertaken from websites up to October 30, 2021, to get information on the formation of MHRB and SMHA.…”