ArticleScientific reports2023
The role of defense styles and psychopathological symptoms on adherence to conspiracy theories during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Article in Scientific reports, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- When Being in the Minority Feels Threatening: Social Identity and the Reinforcement of Anti-Vaccination Attitudes.Scandinavian journal of psychology · 2026Article
- Textures of Personality: The Role of Attachment Insecurities and Defense Mechanisms in Maladaptive Personality Functioning.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Understanding Adolescent Mental Health in the COVID-19 Era: A Psychodynamic Approach.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Anti-Vaccination Attitude and Vaccination Intentions Against Covid-19: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study Investigating the Role of Media Consumption.Clinical neuropsychiatry · 2023Article
- Evidence of Altered Fear Extinction Learning in Individuals with High Vaccine Hesitancy During Covid-19 Pandemic.Clinical neuropsychiatry · 2023Article
- The Relationship Between Communicative Actions, Behavioral Intentions, and Corporate Reputation in the Framework of Situational Theory of Problem Solving in a Public Health Crisis.International journal of public health · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
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Abstract
Due to the unpredictability of the COVID-19 pandemic situation, individuals felt uncertain and insecure. As a consequence, conspiracy theories flourished and quickly spread. In the current study, we examine the relationship between general and COVID-19-related conspiracy theories, cognitive reflection, psychopathological symptoms, and defense styles in a sample of Italian adults. A total of 450 participants (50.2% male; mean age = 40.89 years, SD = 12.15) took part in an online survey. Two linear regression models on the general (explained variance 22.6%) and COVID-19-related (explained variance 33.0%) conspiracy theories have been tested. Among the predictive factors, older age, mania symptoms, and immature defenses facilitate adherence to conspiracy theories; on the opposite side, higher education, cognitive reflection, and mature defenses protected from adherence to conspiracy theories. The study provides some novel findings about factors that are significantly associated with general and COVID-19-related conspiracy theories, and highlights the pivotal role of individuals' psychological defenses in conspiracy theories.
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