COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs in Poland. Predictors, psychological and social impact and adherence to public health guidelines over one year
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...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-99991-w |
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| author | Łukasz Kiszkiel Paweł Sowa Piotr Paweł Laskowski Maciej Alimowski Anna Moniuszko-Malinowska Łukasz Szczerbiński Sebastian Sołomacha Karolina Skonieczna-Żydecka Jerzy Samochowiec Marco Solmi Trevor Thompson Andrés Estradé Christoph U. Correll Karol Kamiński |
| author_facet | Łukasz Kiszkiel Paweł Sowa Piotr Paweł Laskowski Maciej Alimowski Anna Moniuszko-Malinowska Łukasz Szczerbiński Sebastian Sołomacha Karolina Skonieczna-Żydecka Jerzy Samochowiec Marco Solmi Trevor Thompson Andrés Estradé Christoph U. Correll Karol Kamiński |
| author_sort | Łukasz Kiszkiel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c4627c2180e84418b9bc14995afff7fa |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-c4627c2180e84418b9bc14995afff7fa2025-08-20T03:22:49ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-05-0115111610.1038/s41598-025-99991-wCOVID-19 conspiracy beliefs in Poland. Predictors, psychological and social impact and adherence to public health guidelines over one yearŁukasz Kiszkiel0Paweł Sowa1Piotr Paweł Laskowski2Maciej Alimowski3Anna Moniuszko-Malinowska4Łukasz Szczerbiński5Sebastian Sołomacha6Karolina Skonieczna-Żydecka7Jerzy Samochowiec8Marco Solmi9Trevor Thompson10Andrés Estradé11Christoph U. Correll12Karol Kamiński13Society and Cognition Unit, University of BialystokDepartment of Population Medicine and Lifestyle Diseases Prevention, Medical University of BialystokSociety and Cognition Unit, University of BialystokSociety and Cognition Unit, University of BialystokDepartment of Infectious Diseases and Neuroinfections, Medical University of BialystokDepartment of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Internal Medicine, Medical University of BialystokDepartment of Population Medicine and Lifestyle Diseases Prevention, Medical University of BialystokDepartment of Biochemical Sciences, Pomeranian Medical University in SzczecinDepartment of Psychiatry, Pomeranian Medical UniversityDepartment of Psychiatry, University of OttawaCentre of Chronic Illness and Ageing, University of GreenwichDepartment of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College LondonDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Charité Universitätsmedizin BerlinDepartment of Population Medicine and Lifestyle Diseases Prevention, Medical University of BialystokAbstract 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.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-99991-wCOVID-19 pandemicCOVID-19 conspiracy beliefsCOH-FITPsychological distress (P-score)WHO-5 well-being indexPublic health guidance |
| spellingShingle | Łukasz Kiszkiel Paweł Sowa Piotr Paweł Laskowski Maciej Alimowski Anna Moniuszko-Malinowska Łukasz Szczerbiński Sebastian Sołomacha Karolina Skonieczna-Żydecka Jerzy Samochowiec Marco Solmi Trevor Thompson Andrés Estradé Christoph U. Correll Karol Kamiński COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs in Poland. Predictors, psychological and social impact and adherence to public health guidelines over one year Scientific Reports COVID-19 pandemic COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs COH-FIT Psychological distress (P-score) WHO-5 well-being index Public health guidance |
| title | COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs in Poland. Predictors, psychological and social impact and adherence to public health guidelines over one year |
| title_full | COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs in Poland. Predictors, psychological and social impact and adherence to public health guidelines over one year |
| title_fullStr | COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs in Poland. Predictors, psychological and social impact and adherence to public health guidelines over one year |
| title_full_unstemmed | COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs in Poland. Predictors, psychological and social impact and adherence to public health guidelines over one year |
| title_short | COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs in Poland. Predictors, psychological and social impact and adherence to public health guidelines over one year |
| title_sort | covid 19 conspiracy beliefs in poland predictors psychological and social impact and adherence to public health guidelines over one year |
| topic | COVID-19 pandemic COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs COH-FIT Psychological distress (P-score) WHO-5 well-being index Public health guidance |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-99991-w |
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