Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40346163›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs in Poland. Predictors, psychological and social impact and adherence to public health guidelines over one year.

Łukasz Kiszkiel, Paweł Sowa, Piotr Paweł Laskowski, Maciej Alimowski, Anna Moniuszko-Malinowska, Łukasz Szczerbiński, Sebastian Sołomacha, Karolina Skonieczna-Żydecka, Jerzy Samochowiec, Marco Solmi and 4 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Łukasz Kiszkiel *Society and Cognition Unit, University of Bialystok, Plac NZS 1, 15-403, Bialystok, Poland. lukaszkiszkiel@gmail.com.
Paweł Sowa *Department of Population Medicine and Lifestyle Diseases Prevention, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland.
Piotr Paweł LaskowskiSociety and Cognition Unit, University of Bialystok, Plac NZS 1, 15-403, Bialystok, Poland.
Maciej AlimowskiSociety and Cognition Unit, University of Bialystok, Plac NZS 1, 15-403, Bialystok, Poland.
Anna Moniuszko-MalinowskaDepartment of Infectious Diseases and Neuroinfections, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland.
Łukasz SzczerbińskiDepartment of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Internal Medicine, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland.
Sebastian SołomachaDepartment of Population Medicine and Lifestyle Diseases Prevention, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland.
Karolina Skonieczna-ŻydeckaDepartment of Biochemical Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Szczecin, Poland.
Jerzy SamochowiecDepartment of Psychiatry, Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland.
Marco SolmiDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Ottawa, Ontario, ON, Canada.
Trevor ThompsonCentre of Chronic Illness and Ageing, University of Greenwich, London, UK.
Andrés EstradéDepartment of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Christoph U CorrellDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Karol KamińskiDepartment of Population Medicine and Lifestyle Diseases Prevention, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland.

Funding

Narodowym Centrum Nauki 2020/37/B/NZ7/03380Regionalna Inicjatywa Doskonałości RID/SP/0043/2024/01
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study examines demographic and attitudinal determinants of belief in COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs in Poland and their impact on psychological well-being, social functioning, and adherence to public health measures over one year. A cross-sectional study with a retrospective component was conducted one year after the pandemic outbreak (N = 1000). A COVID-19 conspiracy belief factor, extracted via PCA, served as the dependent variable in hierarchical regression models. Changes in P-score (psychological distress), S-score (social functioning), WHO-5 score (well-being), and adherence to public health guidance were analyzed using t-tests. Key predictors of conspiracy belief included lower education, younger age, higher religiosity, and distrust in experts. Conspiracy believers (CTB) exhibited significantly higher P-scores (greater psychological distress) compared to non-believers (N-CTB). While S-score (social functioning) and WHO-5 score (well-being) declined in both groups over time, differences between CTB and N-CTB were not significant. Stronger conspiracy beliefs were associated with lower adherence to public health guidelines from the pandemic's outset, with no significant improvement after one year. These findings confirm previous research linking conspiracy beliefs to reduced adherence to health measures and poorer psychological outcomes. However, they challenge assumptions that conspiracy beliefs necessarily impair well-being and social functioning over time. Strengthening institutional trust and addressing misinformation remain critical for improving public health compliance.

Indexed as

COVID-19Guideline AdherencePublic HealthAdultAgedCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPandemicsPolandRetrospective StudiesSARS-CoV-2Young AdultCOH-FITCOVID-19 conspiracy beliefsCOVID-19 pandemicPsychological distress (P-score)Public health guidanceWHO-5 well-being index

Identifiers

PMID40346163
PMCPMC12064744

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.