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. 2022 Nov 10;19(22):14789.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph192214789.

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

Sara Staszak  1 , Julia Maciejowska  1 , Wiktoria Urjasz  1 , Tomasz Misiuro  1 , Andrzej Cudo  2
Affiliations

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

Sara Staszak et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

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: COVID-19; conspiracy beliefs; conspiracy theories; coronavirus fear; the need for cognitive closure.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Paths model of relationships between the need for closure dimensions, belief in conspiracy theories about the COVID-19, age, and fear of the coronavirus (n = 380). The dashed line indicates statistically insignificant relationships.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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