ERIC Number: EJ1371419
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 28
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0888-4080
EISSN: EISSN-1099-0720
Available Date: N/A
Depressive Symptoms and Conspiracy Beliefs
Green, Jon; Druckman, James N.; Baum, Matthew A.; Lazer, David; Ognyanova, Katherine; Perlis, Roy H.
Applied Cognitive Psychology, v37 n2 p332-359 Mar-Apr 2023
Conspiratorial beliefs can endanger individuals and societies by increasing the likelihood of harmful behaviors such as the flouting of public health guidelines. While scholars have identified various correlates of conspiracy beliefs, one factor that has received scant attention is depressive symptoms. We use three large surveys to explore the connection between depression and conspiracy beliefs. We find a consistent association, with the extent of the relationship depending on individual and situational factors. Interestingly, those from relatively advantaged demographic groups (i.e., White, male, high income, educated) exhibit a stronger relationship between depression and conspiracy beliefs than those not from such groups. Furthermore, situational variables that ostensibly increase stress--such as having COVID-19 or parenting during COVID-19--exacerbate the relationship while those that seem to decrease stress, such as social support, vitiate it. The results provide insight about the development of targeted interventions and accentuate the need for theorizing about the mechanisms that lead depression to correlate with conspiracy beliefs.
Descriptors: Beliefs, Depression (Psychology), Correlation, Racial Differences, Ethnicity, Gender Differences, Socioeconomic Status, Educational Attainment, Context Effect, COVID-19, Pandemics, Stress Variables, Stress Management
Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2191/en-us
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health (NIH) (DHHS); National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: NIMHR01MH123804; SES2029292; SES2029297; SES2116645
Author Affiliations: N/A