Coronavirus conspiracy beliefs in the German-speaking general population: Endorsement rates and links to reasoning biases and paranoia

The current study aims to assess the beliefs of the general public in Pakistan towards conspiracy theories, acceptance, willingness to pay, and preference for the COVID-19 vaccine. A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online self-administered questionnaire during January 2021. The Chi-square test or Fisher exact test was utilized for statistical data analysis. A total of 2158 respondents completed the questionnaire, among them 1192 (55.2%) were male with 23.87 (SD: ±6.23) years as mean age. The conspiracy beliefs circulating regarding the COVID-19 vaccine were believed by 9.3% to 28.4% of the study participants. Among them, 1040 (48.2%) agreed to vaccinate on its availability while 934 (43.3%) reported the Chinese vaccine as their preference. The conspiracy beliefs of the participants were significantly associated with acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine. The existence of conspiracy beliefs and low vaccine acceptance among the general population is a serious threat to successful COVID-19 vaccination.

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Coronavirus conspiracy beliefs, mistrust, and compliance with government guidelines in England

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291720001890 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Daniel Freeman ◽

Felicity Waite ◽

Laina Rosebrock ◽

Ariane Petit ◽

Chiara Causier ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

General Population ◽

Online Survey ◽

Conspiracy Theories ◽

The World ◽

Conspiracy Beliefs ◽

Antibody Tests ◽

Very High ◽

Reduced Adherence ◽

Conspiracy Thinking

Abstract Background An invisible threat has visibly altered the world. Governments and key institutions have had to implement decisive responses to the danger posed by the coronavirus pandemic. Imposed change will increase the likelihood that alternative explanations take hold. In a proportion of the general population there may be strong scepticism, fear of being misled, and false conspiracy theories. Our objectives were to estimate the prevalence of conspiracy thinking about the pandemic and test associations with reduced adherence to government guidelines. Methods A non-probability online survey with 2501 adults in England, quota sampled to match the population for age, gender, income, and region. Results Approximately 50% of this population showed little evidence of conspiracy thinking, 25% showed a degree of endorsement, 15% showed a consistent pattern of endorsement, and 10% had very high levels of endorsement. Higher levels of coronavirus conspiracy thinking were associated with less adherence to all government guidelines and less willingness to take diagnostic or antibody tests or to be vaccinated. Such ideas were also associated with paranoia, general vaccination conspiracy beliefs, climate change conspiracy belief, a conspiracy mentality, and distrust in institutions and professions. Holding coronavirus conspiracy beliefs was also associated with being more likely to share opinions. Conclusions In England there is appreciable endorsement of conspiracy beliefs about coronavirus. Such ideas do not appear confined to the fringes. The conspiracy beliefs connect to other forms of mistrust and are associated with less compliance with government guidelines and greater unwillingness to take up future tests and treatment.

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Myths of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy: Development and Testing of a Questionnaire for Standardized Assessment

Verhaltenstherapie ◽

10.1159/000507946 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Stefanie M. Jungmann ◽

Michael Witthöft

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Clinical Psychology ◽

Reliability And Validity ◽

Intolerance Of Uncertainty ◽

Validated Questionnaire ◽

Two Samples ◽

Uncertainty Intolerance ◽

German Speaking ◽

Item Characteristics ◽

Positive Correlations

Background: Myths in the sense of scientifically untenable statements are widespread in the field of clinical psychology and psychotherapy and can have considerable consequences (e.g., stigmatization, ineffective/potentially harmful treatments). In German-speaking countries, myths have so far been little investigated, and there is no validated questionnaire specifically for the assessment of myths in clinical psychology/psychotherapy. The aim of the study was to develop a questionnaire on myths in clinical psychology/psychotherapy (FMKPP) and to conduct a first psychometric test on two samples (general population, students). In addition, correlations with personality traits, absorption, and intolerance of uncertainty were examined. Methods: In a sample of the German general population (n= 286) as well as in college students (n= 368), the factor structure and item characteristics were examined, and correlations with dispositional characteristics were calculated. Results: The FMKPP consists of three factors: “myths about the effectiveness of psychotherapy,” “myths about mental disorders/processes in psychotherapy,” and “myths concerning the functioning of memory.” Reliabilities (McDonald’s ω) were between 0.50 and 0.75. As expected, the FMKPP showed significant positive correlations with absorption and uncertainty intolerance. Conclusion: The reliability and validity of individual items should be investigated in future studies. The association with intolerance of uncertainty could indicate a function of myths in terms of increasing safety and predictability.

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Survey on “Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding the Coronavirus Pandemic” in the Austrian, German and Swiss population

10.31219/osf.io/35sa6 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Manuel Schabus ◽

Esther-Sevil Eigl

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

General Population ◽

Well Being ◽

Psychological Burden ◽

The Public ◽

Knowledge And Attitudes ◽

Swiss Population ◽

German Speaking ◽

Austrian Population ◽

High Degree

The survey on “Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding the Coronavirus Pandemic” was available online from 17. Jan 2021 to 19. Feb 2021 for the Austrian population. The aim of the study was to obtain a representative overview of the assessment of the current pandemic situation by the German-speaking general population (Austria, Germany, and Switzerland). Altogether the results of this survey in German-speaking countries (here with a focus on Austria) reflects the high degree of the psychological burden and anxiety regarding SARS-CoV-2 in the general population. The subjectively estimated threat of the disease (hospitalisation or mortality) is vastly overestimated and contributes to the degree of psychosocial burdens in the Austrian population. The aftermath of the pandemic is just beginning and the public focus should finally be turned to those indirectly harmed by the coronavirus measures in order to prevent a meltdown of well-being and general somatic as well as mental health in the general population.

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The Development of a Multidimensional Inventory for the Assessment of Mental Pain (FESSTE 30)

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.656862 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Karin Flenreiss-Frankl ◽

Jürgen Fuchshuber ◽

Human Friedrich Unterrainer

Keyword(s):

Factor Analysis ◽

General Population ◽

Population Sample ◽

Brief Symptom Inventory ◽

Traumatic Experiences ◽

Assessment Procedure ◽

Self Assessment ◽

Final Version ◽

Mental Pain ◽

German Speaking

Background: Although the term “mental pain” is often the subject of expert opinions regarding claims for damages, there is still no standardized questionnaire in the German-speaking area to operationalize this concept. Therefore, the aim of this work is the development and validation of a self-assessment measurement for psychological pain after traumatic events (FESSTE).Methods:A first version of the questionnaire was applied on a sample of the German speaking general population (N = 425; 88% female). After performing an item analysis and exploratory factor analysis, the questionnaire was shortened and tested on a second German speaking general population sample (N = 619; 89% female). Finally, the newly developed questionnaire was related to the extent of traumatization (measured with a uniquely designed trauma checklist attached to the FESSTE) and already established instruments for the assessment of psychiatric symptom burden, which included the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) and the Post-traumatic-Stress-Scale (PTSS-10).Results: The final version of the FESSTE consists of a total of 30 items and covers the subscales “Somatization,” “Depression,” “Intrusive Memories,” “Dissociation” and “Anxiety,” and a total scale “Mental Pain.” Based on the confirmatory factor analysis, it is assumed that the latent factor structure of the FESSTE can be best described as a bifactor-model. The final version shows a satisfactory model fit, high internal consistencies, and strong positive correlations with the BSI-18 and PTSS-10, as well as the extent of traumatic experiences.Discussion: The FESSTE enables an operationalization of mental pain comprising five subscales and one total scale. What is more, the trauma checklist attached to the FESSTE allows for the standardized assessment of potentially traumatic experiences and the corresponding extent of these experiences. The results indicate that the FESSTE is a reliable and valid self-assessment procedure for mental pain, which is suitable for use in research and in expert practice.

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609 B-type natriuretic peptide testing for structural heart disease screening: a general population-based study

European Journal of Heart Failure Supplements ◽

10.1016/s1567-4215(05)80381-9 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 138-139

Keyword(s):

Heart Disease ◽

General Population ◽

Natriuretic Peptide ◽

Structural Heart Disease ◽

Population Based ◽

Disease Screening ◽

Population Based Study

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Literature and Religion in the German-Speaking World

10.1017/9781108284622 ◽

2019 ◽

Keyword(s):

Literature And Religion ◽

German Speaking

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Arterial stiffness is a potential mechanism and promising indicator of orthostatic hypotension in the general population

VASA ◽

10.1024/0301-1526/a000389 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 43 (6) ◽

pp. 423-432 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Qingtao Meng ◽

Si Wang ◽

Yong Wang ◽

Shixi Wan ◽

Kai Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

General Population ◽

Arterial Stiffness ◽

Orthostatic Hypotension ◽

Operating Characteristic ◽

Pulse Wave ◽

Augmentation Index ◽

Multiple Logistic Regression Analysis ◽

The Elderly ◽

Baroreceptor Sensitivity ◽

Roc Curve Analysis

Background: Orthostatic hypotension (OH) is a disease prevalent among middle-aged men and the elderly. The association between arterial stiffness and OH is unclear. This study evaluates whether arterial stiffness is correlated with OH and tests the usefulness of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), an arterial stiffness marker, with regard to identifying OH. Patients and methods: A sample of 1,010 participants was recruited from the general population (64.8 ± 7.7 years; 426 men) who attended health check-ups. BaPWV and the radial augmentation index (rAI) were both assessed as the arterial stiffness markers, and OH was determined using blood pressure (BP) measured in the supine position, as well as 30 seconds and 2 minutes after standing. Results: The prevalence of OH in this population was 4.9 %. Compared with the non-OH group, both baPWV (20.5 ± 4.5 vs 17.3 ± 3.7, p < 0.001) and rAI (88.1 ± 10.8 vs 84.2 ± 10.7, p < 0.05) were significantly higher in the OH group. In the multiple logistic regression analysis, baPWV (OR, 1.3; 95 % CI, 1.106–1.528; p < 0.05) remained associated with OH. Moreover, the degree of orthostatic BP reduction was related to arterial stiffness. In addition, increases in arterial stiffness predicted decreases in the degree of heart rate (HR) elevation. Finally, a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that baPWV was useful in discriminating OH (AUC, 0.721; p < 0.001), with the cut-off value of 18.58 m/s (sensitivity, 0.714; specificity, 0.686). Conclusions: Arterial stiffness determined via baPWV, rather than rAI, was significantly correlated with the attenuation of the orthostatic hemodynamic response and the resultant OH. The impaired baroreceptor sensitivity might be the mechanism. In addition, baPWV appears to be a relatively sensitive and reliable indicator of OH in routine clinical practice.

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Psychometrical Properties of a French Version of the General Self-Efficacy Short Scale (ASKU)

Swiss Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1024/1421-0185/a000233 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 79 (1) ◽

pp. 15-25

Author(s):

Jean Philippe Décieux ◽

Philipp Emanuel Sischka ◽

Anette Schumacher ◽

Helmut Willems

Keyword(s):

Self Efficacy ◽

Factor Model ◽

German Version ◽

French Version ◽

Context Variable ◽

Confirmatory Factor ◽

French Speaking ◽

German Speaking ◽

Valid Instrument ◽

General Self Efficacy

Abstract. General self-efficacy is a central personality trait often evaluated in surveys as context variable. It can be interpreted as a personal coping resource reflecting individual belief in one’s overall competence to perform across a variety of situations. The German-language Allgemeine-Selbstwirksamkeit-Kurzskala (ASKU) is a reliable and valid instrument to assess this disposition in the German-speaking countries based on a three-item equation. This study develops a French version of the ASKU and tests this French version for measurement invariance compared to the original ASKU. A reliable and valid French instrument would make it easy to collect data in the French-speaking countries and allow comparisons between the French and German results. Data were collected on a sample of 1,716 adolescents. Confirmatory factor analysis resulted in a good fit for a single-factor model of the data (in total, French, and German version). Additionally, construct validity was assessed by elucidating intercorrelations between the ASKU and different factors that should theoretically be related to ASKU. Furthermore, we confirmed configural and metric as well as scalar invariance between the different language versions, meaning that all forms of statistical comparison between the developed French version and the original German version are allowed.

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