The Relationship between the Need for Closure and Coronavirus Fear: The Mediating Effect of Beliefs in Conspiracy Theories about COVID-19

Sara Staszak, Julia Maciejowska, Wiktoria Urjasz, Tomasz Misiuro () and Andrzej Cudo
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Sara Staszak: Institute of Psychology, University of Zielona Góra, 65-417 Zielona Góra, Poland
Julia Maciejowska: Institute of Psychology, University of Zielona Góra, 65-417 Zielona Góra, Poland
Wiktoria Urjasz: Institute of Psychology, University of Zielona Góra, 65-417 Zielona Góra, Poland
Tomasz Misiuro: Institute of Psychology, University of Zielona Góra, 65-417 Zielona Góra, Poland
Andrzej Cudo: Department of Experimental Psychology, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, 20-950 Lublin, Poland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 22, 1-18

Abstract: This study investigated the relationship between fear of the coronavirus, belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories, and dimensions of the need for cognitive closure. As there is evidence of associations between these variables, we hypothesized that the relationship between the need for closure dimensions and coronavirus fear may be mediated by conspiracy beliefs about COVID-19. We analyzed the results from 380 individuals who completed online versions of three scales: the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, a short version of the Need for Closure Scale, and—designed for this study—the Conspiracy Theories about the Coronavirus Scale. The results showed that belief in COVID-19 conspiracy theories fully mediated the relationship between the fear of the coronavirus and avoidance of ambiguity, as well as closed-mindedness. The findings provided evidence that beliefs in conspiracy theories may play a significant role in reducing the level of coronavirus fear in people with high levels of these traits. In addition, a partial mediation between the fear of the coronavirus and the need for predictability was found. The limitations and implications of the research are discussed.

Keywords: conspiracy theories; conspiracy beliefs; coronavirus fear; the need for cognitive closure; COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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